


Homeward

by icinks



Series: Homeward [1]
Category: Aldnoah.Zero (Anime)
Genre: Depression, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Original Character(s), Past Abuse, Post-Canon, Suicidal Thoughts, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-14
Updated: 2015-06-19
Packaged: 2018-04-04 10:05:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 32,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4133475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icinks/pseuds/icinks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Slaine had long since abandoned the hope of ever having a place to belong. He thought he had given up on himself, as well, but finds that someone simply won't let him.  [Post ep 24]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dawn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: This fic has been edited from the original version!

A deep rumble shook the entire building, down to the subterranean cell where Slaine was sleeping in his cot. His eyes opened and he sat up, his vision slowly adjusting to the darkness. It sounded like a kat firing, but he knew that they would never keep prisoners and operational kataphrakts in the same vicinity.  He laid back down and closed his eyes.

_BOOM!_

What in -? This time he hauled himself out of bed and stumbled to the narrow cell window to look for the source. He couldn't see much, even if there had been something there. The window was above his head and at ground level, affording a lovely view of the sky but not of anything on the land, and there was no moon tonight.  No stars either. Just pitch black, and deathly calm.  He had nearly turned away when, straight down from the sky, flashed a jagged beam of light, accompanied by an earsplitting crack.  It illuminated every cloud and tree before vanishing nearly as soon as it had materialized. Ah, so it was lighting.  Earth's weather was no joke.

"You should close your window, it's going to rain soon," a calm, familiar voice said behind him.  Kaizuka Inaho stood in the doorway, arms loosely at his sides, his single eye gazing evenly at the prisoner. He must have opened the door when that last thunderclap rolled in. So much for privacy.

Slaine ignored the intruder and went back to his bed. Somehow the 19-year-old officer had gained enough clearance over the past several months to waltz in whenever he pleased, much to Slaine's annoyance. But only with guard supervision, of course. As if Kaizuka needed help if it came to a fight.  Slaine was sure it wouldn't be too hard for a child to defend themselves against him in his current state of health, but everything in this place was obnoxiously rigid when it came to procedure.

A few minutes passed, and he realized Kaizuka had no intention of leaving. He rolled over and heaved a sigh. "What are you doing here? It's late, I was sleeping."  He slept a lot these days. There wasn't much else to do, and being unconscious was much more pleasant than being aware of his circumstances.  That is, when he wasn’t dreaming of them.

"I'm glad you're awake, actually. I need to talk to you about something that came up just now, concerning your sentence."

At this time of night…?  It was absurd, but then Kaizuka generally appeared to have no concept of normal conventions.  Slaine pulled the blanket over his head.  Something about his sentence… maybe they’d finally seen reason and made the decision to terminate him.

Meeting silence, Kaizuka continued, "You've been granted permission for a trial house-arrest, due to your consistent cooperation and good behavior over the past eighteen months."

Slaine folded the blanket back a fraction and peered out, but gave no reply.  He was trying to process what he’d just heard.

"You have nothing to say about it?"  Kaizuka was still watching him.

He lay still, considering his answer.  There really only was one answer to that. "It makes no difference. I have no house to go to."

"About that…" Kaizuka closed the window as the wind began to pick up outside, "It's small, but I have a spare room at my place, if you're interested."

"I'm not going to live with you," Slaine muttered, his face still obscured.

Rain began to hit the windowpane and another loud clap of thunder rattled the building.

"Well, that's up to you," Kaizuka walked towards the door, "but I'll be here at dawn to get you. Give it some thought."

* * *

 Despite his disinterest the night before, Slaine was awake and had his few belongings gathered by the time Kaizuka arrived the next morning.

"Is your sister alright with this?" he inquired dubiously as he climbed into the vehicle, "I thought she hated me."

"Yuki doesn't know yet. But she'll get used to it."

A rather daring assumption, Slaine thought to himself. Well, whatever. It's not like being hated was anything new. He didn't particularly care what other people thought of him, he had never had that luxury.

The thunderstorm that raged for most of the night had cleared away, leaving a fresh, pink dawn. A soft sea breeze rustled their clothes and hair pleasantly.

"Roll up your pants," Kaizuka instructed before closing the door, "It doesn't matter which leg."

"Huh?" What kind of request was that?

"I need to put this on you before we leave." Kaizuka held up a tracking anklet. "It's part of the condition for your trial release. Your radius is my property, though you're not really supposed to be alive, so try to lay low."

 _"Then why_ am _I alive..."_ Slaine sighed inwardly and rolled up the hem around his left ankle. He may have been cooperative over the past year and a half, but his distaste for Kaizuka in particular had remained much the same.  Something about the boy brought out the worst in him.

When the anklet was fastened in place, Kaizuka stood up and reached in his pocket.

"I doubt you'll try to run, but if you do – " he held up his cell phone, "I'll know exactly where you are. There's also an emergency button – if you're ever in serious danger, press it. I can usually be home within five minutes."

What kind of danger, exactly...?

As he rolled his pant leg back down, Kaizuka climbed in the driver's side and started the engine.  The ride home was completely silent. Neither had anything to say, and Slaine was occupied with trying not to seem too fascinated by the scenery passing them by. Birds circled in the cloud streaked sky above a calm, glistening ocean. It hurt just looking at them.

About an hour later, they pulled into the driveway of a small house. Slaine wondered if it was really big enough for three people.  It was bigger than a jail cell, at least.  He glanced around somewhat uneasily as Kaizuka methodically flipped through his keys and unlocked the front door. The smell of some sort of food wafted out and for the first time in weeks Slaine suddenly felt hungry. He ignored the feeling and followed his new housemate inside.

"Ah… I forgot to mention," said Kaizuka, "we've been using that room as storage until now, and I haven't had time to clean it out. For now you'll have to use my room or the couch. Whichever," he added indifferently while hanging his keys on a hook by the door.

 _“Mention that earlier!”_ Slaine glared at the back of the other’s head, and then added aloud, "I'll take the couch."  He scanned the room with his eyes. It had been a very long time since he last set foot in a Terran home, and the ones he remembered were much different than this.  This home was comfortable looking, both worn and clean.  Its walls were sparse, its furniture full, and it was inviting.

"Hey, take off your shoes!"

Slaine halted in his tracks and glanced back. He had never heard Kaizuka use that tone before. Was that annoyance just now? Interesting.  "Sorry," He took a pair of offered slippers.

"If you make a mess here I'm sending you back. I don't have time to clean up after you."

Well… he was setting things straight at the beginning, apparently. In any case, that should be easy enough.  He could be orderly if required to be.

"Breakfast is at seven, dinner is at six. I'll leave your lunch in the fridge."  Kaizuka crossed the kitchen and began ascending the stairs. Slaine followed him, looking side to side to take in everything as he passed through. When they reached the second floor, Kaizuka paused in front of a door and knocked twice.  "Yuki, you're late."

"Huh?!  AHH!!" a panicked cry came from within.

Continuing on, Kaizuka opened the door at the end of the hall.  "This will be your room. I'll clean it out this weekend, so for now you can sleep wherever you want. My room is here –" he opened the door across from his sister's, "you can put your stuff down there."

"Nao, is someone here?"

Before Slaine could process the situation, he found himself being shoved into a room with the door closed in his face.

"No, I was just on the phone," he heard Kaizuka lie on the other side.  Apparently he was waiting for a better time to break the news.

"Oh. Did you leave me any breakfast?"

"It's on the stove. You're really late, you know."

Slaine looked around the bedroom. It was spotless, of course. A picture of the siblings was on a wooden bedside table. It was the only photo in the room. They looked happy.

Aside from a bed, a dresser, and a desk, there was not much else in the room. Even so, it felt comfortable. The sunlight on blue walls gave it a fresh atmosphere.

Just as he was setting his things down in a corner, the door opened again. Kaizuka entered and closed it behind him. "Sorry about that. She'd be in a bad mood all day if I told her about you right now. Anyway, I have to go. Settle in and make yourself comfortable – there's a bath down the hall and food in the kitchen. I'll be home at 5:30. Oh, and this should be obvious, but I’ll say it anyway: stay out of my sister's room, and don’t answer the door or the telephone."

The door shut again and Slaine collapsed onto the bed. This whole idea was ridiculous, but for some reason he couldn't reject it. Well, he could always change his mind later. Either way, he had nothing more to lose.


	2. Divide

Slaine spent much of the day dozing on the couch. His energy was practically nonexistent and he had little interest in exploring someone else’s home. Nevertheless, he couldn't quite fall asleep.

The house smelled nice. What was that scent? Perhaps some Terran flower was nearby.  He almost wanted to look for it, but there didn’t seem to be much point.  He had grown used to the fragrance of flowers wafting through his window in the summer, without being able to actually see them.  The prison’s yard rarely had much in the way of plant life other than grasses and the occasional scentless weed.  His mind drifted to the times he had spent teaching a certain girl about the flowers of Earth. Had the Princess – no, the Empress, been to this house? She had spent quite a bit of time on Earth, so it wasn't unlikely. His brow furrowed at the thought of her and Kaizuka sitting on this very couch.  But then he remembered that it couldn't have happened – the Kaizuka's original home was most likely destroyed during the initial invasion, as was a large portion of the city.  He had watched it go up in flames with his own eyes.  Ah yes, the same day he had shot that disgusting man. He shuddered at the memory, but he could never regret it.  It was a miracle that he had managed it at the time, with how laughably pathetic he had been in those days. Indecisive and desperate, unable to discern the true enemy, he had been a mere servant playing at guardian. Who did he ever protect?  Cruhteo had been right about him.  He should never have presumed to become anything more than an obedient dog.

Now he had finally, and fittingly, returned to his born status, with the most simple activities being watched, controlled, restricted, first in that cage, and now with this leash.  He hated it, but he knew it was what he deserved.  It was even less.  But living was a punishment he’d come to accept, once he’d spent months contemplating his sins over and over again, driving himself into a frenzy every time he was denied the atonement he longed so desperately for, only to realize at last that dying would be far too easy.  He never thought he would wish for someone to hit him again.  Kaizuka now had the perfect opportunity, but it was nothing to get his hopes up about.  That person wouldn’t waste the energy.

He shifted onto his back and stared up at the white painted ceiling.  He had to admit, it was rather comfortable in this house. It was quiet, tranquil, and best of all, there was no one else around all day to irritate him. But comfortable or not, he didn't like being tied to Kaizuka. In fact, every fiber of him wanted to be rid of him. It was a distaste he had never quite understood.  Just looking at Kaizuka made him irrationally angry, as though his mere existence was a smug provocation. Now having to accept his help once again was almost sickening, just barely eased by the fact that it was simply a fulfillment of Asseylum's wishes. It was her charity, not Kaizuka's, and that he could accept.

He shifted his position, settling deeper into the couch cushions.  The clock's rhythm beat steadily on the wall beside the window. The curtains were drawn to keep out unsolicited eyes, giving the room a calm, vague lighting. If not for the timepiece, he wouldn't know what hour of the day it was.

Five o'clock.  Kaizuka would be home soon. He briefly considered retreating to the bathroom and locking the door for the duration of the evening.

 _Tick, tock, tick, tock_ … he was getting drowsy.

* * *

When Slaine awoke, someone was standing there looking at him. As his eyes focused he realized it was a woman, and that she was holding a gun about a meter from his face. _"What the…"_

"Alright, who are you," she demanded, "and what are you doing in my house?"

Ah, so this was Kaizuka's sister. Why was she home without him? He glanced at the clock – 5:20.  Of course she'd come home early, today of all days.

Unexpected as this was, he had stared down the barrel of a gun too many times to be very phased by it.  "Ask your brother," he replied coolly.  He was surprised she didn't recognize him, but then he did look much different than he had two years ago on royal television broadcasts. Back when he had worn the regal garb of a count, with trim hair and confident eyes. Now he looked every bit the convict he was, perhaps a little worse.

She lowered the gun slightly. "Huh?! Are you Nao's friend?"

If he had been, what a way to greet a guest.  "As if…"

Should he go ahead and tell her? But how would she react… and without Kaizuka to back him up. Then again, it wouldn’t be a bad thing if she shot him. Finally, someone might actually do it.

"Wait a minute, are you…" she seemed to be figuring it out as she peered closer at him, "are you… Slaine Troyard?"

There was a long silence as the two stared at each other. The clock was louder than ever.

"… and if I am?"

Her expression darkened, eyes filled with bitter hurt, and for a moment he was certain she was going to pull the trigger. He waited for it. And he didn't move at all as instead she struck him hard across the face with the palm of her hand.

"Yuki, what are you doing?"

Kaizuka always seemed to appear at the most opportune moments.

"Nao! Why is he here?!" she pointed a finger at Slaine, who was still lying motionless on the couch, a red mark no doubt swelling on his pale cheek.

"You really shouldn't bring weapons home," Kaizuka replied calmly, completely evading the question. "Please don't from now on."

"What? Why?" Yuki was growing increasingly confused as her eyes darted from one to the other.

Slaine wondered to which of them Kaizuka considered weapons a threat. He had a gut feeling suicide was the main concern, since his apparently fragile mental state was no secret to anyone who encountered him these days. He often wondered how much of it was relayed to Asseylum.

"Slaine will be staying with us now. He was released into my custody on a trial house arrest this morning."

"WHAT?!"

"Please don't shout, Yuki…"

"Nao, he's dangerous! You can't be serious! He… he's the one that —"

Kaizuka exhaled slowly. "I know, I know." He had now crossed the room until he was standing in front of her. He gently removed the gun from her hand. "But that was three years ago. People change."

 _"Not really…"_ Slaine watched the familial drama unfold before him with the acute feeling that he didn't belong.

Yuki bit her lip and groaned. " _You_ never change, Nao.  What if-”

“He’s not going to hurt anyone,” Kaizuka answered before she had finished.

“How can you know that?  You’re being reckless again.”

Slaine tended to agree with Kaizuka’s sister, who seemed to have a better grasp on reality.  With this living arrangement, he could easily knife them both in their sleep if he felt so inclined, and had very little to lose for it.  Not that he had even considered such a thing until now, or had any motivation to murder more people at this point.  Kaizuka was a tempting victim, but all in all, aside from the fact that he’d probably manage to survive it again, in the end it would bring little satisfaction.  More likely it would only serve to hurt Asseylum.

Kaizuka seemed to have a similar train of thought, which he promptly vocalized.  “Slaine’s known history affirms that he has only ever caused injury to another in the cases of warfare and self-defense.  Additionally, he has exhibited absolutely no violent tendencies over the past eighteen months while incarcerated, and has little motive to begin with,” he rattled off, “Emotionally, his losses would outweigh his gains, and-”

“Uuugh!" she sighed loudly, "I get it.  You win, as always."

"I'll start dinner," Kaizuka replied as he headed for the kitchen.

Yuki remained in the living room, her attention now returned to Slaine.

"I'm… still not happy about this, but if you're going to be staying with us… you really should eat more, ok?"

Slaine's eyes widened a fraction as she walked away.  She had seemed very unlike her brother at first, but suddenly he saw the resemblance: neither of them made any sense.

Her words lingered too long, turning over in his mind, unwelcome and inescapable. He had lost a significant amount of body mass since his imprisonment, but he never gave it much thought. Eating was troublesome with no appetite and he didn't see the point, anyway.  But if Asseylum had been the one to say those words to him, would he find it worthwhile to try?

* * *

The days continued, each much the same as the one before. The siblings woke early, he was dragged from his makeshift bed to eat breakfast with them, and then they headed out, leaving him to idle away the long hours in solitude. Sometimes Kaizuka left later than his sister, sometimes earlier. He had recently begun his second year at the university, in addition to his position in the military, so his schedule was much more erratic. No wonder he hardly had any time to spare. Yet somehow he also managed to prepare almost every meal for all three of them. In the evenings Kaizuka studied in his room while Yuki watched TV or read. Occasionally she would try to converse with him, but it never lasted long, as it was noticeably forced on both sides. He wasn't sure what to make of her yet, especially since her words and actions toward him continually contradicted one another.

"My sister's having some friends over this evening for a bit," Kaizuka mentioned one morning, "sorry, but you'll have to hide out for a few hours until they leave."

Slaine dipped his chin slightly in acknowledgement. He assumed this meant he was spending several hours cooped up in a tiny room with the one person he couldn't stand. Fantastic.

Sure enough, that evening the two found themselves sitting across from one another on Kaizuka's bedroom floor with a chessboard between them.

"I think you're getting worse at this…" Kaizuka commented as he removed one of his opponent's knights and set his own pawn in its place. "Are you having trouble thinking?"

Slaine frowned at the board. Was that supposed to be an insult? Or… no, he was only offended because Kaizuka had hit the nail on the head. He _was_ having trouble thinking, more so than usual, anyway. This brain exercise only stirred up the miasma in his mind and made it throb.  Sometimes he felt if he had to play one more round of this infernal game, he might actually go homicidal.  He’d even had a nightmare about it once. Regardless of the disinterest he was invariably met with when unboxing the set, Kaizuka insisted on playing regularly, probably as a bit of forced interaction and mental stimulus for someone who only stared at the wall alone all day. Tonight was admittedly a good time for it, since they were stuck in a room together with nothing else to do while Yuki had her company, and Kaizuka had finished his homework early. With an intellect like that, it was a wonder he had to study at all. Slaine sighed to himself. There was a time when his own mind was more than a stagnant swamp of self-loathing.

"You know, you remind me a little of a friend of mine." The soft-spoken one replaced another of Slaine's pieces. "She's a Martian but she grew up here on Earth, so I guess you could say she's the opposite of you."

Why was he bringing this up, exactly…? Slaine tried to focus on the game for once. He hated playing, but he hated losing more.

Kaizuka continued while his opponent pondered the board, "For the longest time, she hated herself. She really thought she had nowhere to belong, and that she didn't deserve to have anything good happen to her.  She didn’t know who to side with or who to believe in. At one point she even wanted to die – she was going to end it herself.”

“Let me guess, you saved her by locking her up.”

“Even after that,” Kaizuka continued, completely ignoring him, “she didn't want me to trust her.  She said she was no different from the treacherous Martians who murdered her father, and the ones who tried to assassinate Seylum and conquer Earth," he paused to move a bishop across the board.

"So? What happened to her?" Slaine's interest was piqued in spite of himself. It wasn't surprising that there would be someone else in a situation like his – there was Lemrina, after all. They were a cursed breed, the lot of them.

"She's alive, and happy to be. Her heritage may not be from Earth, but she belongs here now because that's what she's decided for herself."

Slaine watched his queen succumb to the enemy with a sour expression. "Except that girl hasn't killed anyone. She never deceived others or took from them. Her story has nothing to do with mine, so I don’t see your point in telling it."

"Don't assume everyone is only either innocent or evil. There's no such thing as a person who's never done anything wrong, just like there isn't anyone who is completely beyond saving. She did kill someone. She killed Seylum."

"What – ?!" his hands clenched on impulse.

"She was revived, but for a moment, Seylum was gone. She had been strangled in the shower, with that –" he pointed to the silver chain around Slaine's neck.

Slaine clutched at his chest, closing the pendant in his fist. "H-how can you still-"

"Because everyone makes mistakes and should get a chance to start again. Whether they accept it or not is up to them." He leaned back on his hands. "Checkmate, by the way."


	3. Doubt

Slaine woke to the sound of a vacuum cleaner somewhere in the house. He sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Ah good, you're awake," came a female voice.

A moment later Yuki appeared, carrying a large pile of bed linens. "Here, help me take this upstairs," she said as she dumped half of it in his lap.

Housework?

Ah, right. It was Saturday.

Slaine stood up and followed her, trying not to drop anything as he staggered drowsily up the stairs. They passed both siblings' bedrooms and continued to the end of the hall. Yuki opened the door to the spare room, which Kaizuka had shown him briefly earlier that week when he first arrived, and he halted in the doorway, staring in disbelief.

It didn't even look like the same room. The old boxes were gone, the dusty furniture was sparkling clean. Someone had pulled back the curtains and opened the windows, letting a fresh breeze clear away the stale air. The morning sun bathed everything in soft light.

"Thanks, I'll take those now," said Yuki. She took the linens from him and began making the bed at the far corner of the room, just below a window.

"You can move the furniture around if you like," said Kaizuka, who emerged from behind the closet door. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and he was holding a dusting rag.

Yuki looked over her shoulder at Slaine, "so, what do you think?"

"Is… this—?"

"Mhmm!  It’s yours. A nice little room, isn't it? This window faces the backyard, so you can keep it open whenever you like."

He could hear the birds singing their morning melodies, and the faint sound of children playing somewhere in the neighborhood.  "It's… nice," he replied quietly, a hint of a smile crossing his lips for the first time in months.

Yuki smiled back at him. "Why don't you settle in and I'll bring up your breakfast."

The siblings left the room and closed the door behind them, leaving Slaine by himself to explore his new living space. He looked around again, this time taking in each thing. There was a bed, a small desk, a dresser, and a bookshelf. Most of the titles on it were related to horticulture. Did one of them enjoy gardening? There were a few novels, too, and a large quantity of encyclopedias.

He walked to the back window and looked out at the yard. Down below, there was what appeared to be a small garden with one or two rose bushes, and some other plants he didn't recognize due to their lack of leaves. Spring had just begun to touch the tree branches with color and the sky was a beautiful clear blue. He closed his eyes and breathed in the cool air.

There was a knock at the door. As promised, Yuki was there holding a tray of food.

He stepped aside and she entered.  "Eat up!" she said as she set it on the desk and turned to leave.  There was an omelet, a bowl of rice, and some coffee. It was simple, but it smelled heavenly.

"Why are you…" his eyes remained fixed on the tray, "why would you do all this for me? I was the one who…" He knew all too well the pain and anger that came from having a loved one nearly torn from you. Of having to watch them recover, day after day, not knowing if they would ever wake again. No matter how much Count Saazbaum seemed to have changed, no matter how much he did for Asseylum's recovery and his rise in status, even going so far as to adopt him and claiming paternal affection and goodwill, he could never forgive him. No, not even now, after he had already killed him and gotten his revenge. So why?

Yuki paused at the door. "I can't forgive you yet for hurting my brother," she replied, her voice trembling a little, "but… I trust him. Nao has a good heart, and he's never wrong about people. If he believes in you, then so do I."

"You can't—"

"That's all there is to it. Besides, you're here with us now. Anyone who lives under this roof is family, got it? And I won't have a little brother of mine starving himself, so you'd better eat that," she added as she closed door.

Slaine stared at his plate. Did she... actually mean all that? Impossible. He had been just as friendly with Count Saazbaum just moments before murdering him, after all. Kindness was a weapon, and it was never for free.

When he’d finished as much as he could manage of the breakfast, Slaine crawled onto his new bed and laid down.  Time melted away as he stared up at the ceiling, thinking, for once, of nothing. The change of atmosphere was both relaxing and energizing, and the more comfortable he felt, the more aware he became of his own boredom. He sat up, his eyes resting on the books across from him. Perhaps he should read one of them.

He got up and retrieved a volume on the design and cultivation of traditional Japanese gardens. This was something unfamiliar, at least.  And it turned out to be surprisingly interesting.

It seemed like years since he had last read anything. His vast mental record of diverse information had grown dim with disuse.  Much of it was likely long outdated, too. If he had remained on Earth and grown up here all his life, would he be attending a university right now, too?  He would be at the start of his third year. It was nice to think about what he might have studied, and he wondered what kind of career he would have liked to pursue. Natural science sounded like fun.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. This time it was Kaizuka.

"I'm heading out for a bit, is there anything you want from the store?"

Slaine shook his head. Even if he had known what was available in Terran stores, there was no way he would accept petty favors in his situation.  His debts were deep enough already.

"Do you want anything from the library?” Kaizuka was looking at the book in his hands, “There's not much on that shelf. Those were Yuki's old gardening books, but she doesn't have much interest in it anymore. I think she gave up…"

"Are the novels also hers?” Slaine asked, sitting up and pointing to four or five smaller books.  He was a little curious what kind of thing she read during their awkward evenings, though he also had a feeling that knowing might make things even more uncomfortable.

Kaizuka leaned closer to look. "Ah, those. Those were probably Rayet's, she must have left them here when she moved out. I doubt she wants them anymore, so you can have them if they interest you. I believe they're mysteries."

So someone had been living in this room before him. He had wondered why there was conveniently the right amount of furniture. Well, that made sense. A lot of people must have been displaced after the war.

After Kaizuka left, Slaine took a closer look at the novels. What kind of mysteries, exactly? He read the back of one of them.  Ah, murder.  Mind games.  Conspiracies… this all sounded disturbingly familiar. He put the book back on the shelf.

* * *

 

Another week came and went, and soon it was Saturday once more. Slaine spent more and more time immersed in books, and had already read nearly every volume on the shelf, including the novels.

"Are you sure you don't want anything from the library?" Kaizuka asked again, seeing that he was re-reading a book on the proper cultivation of roses at breakfast.

He nodded, not looking up from the page, though he knew it was a lie. He wanted to read about botany, about marine life, about ornithology, about everything. The more he read, the more envious he became of Kaizuka’s daily access to limitless knowledge. Perhaps that's why he couldn't ask him for the books.

"You must be an expert on gardening by now," Yuki laughed.

Slaine glanced up. She was always so lively, even when she was half awake.  It threw him off.

"More so than you, Yuki," said Kaizuka over the rim of his coffee mug.  She sent him a mock glare, her mouth being full with toast.  "Ah, that reminds me," he added as he set down the mug with both hands, "The weather is pretty good lately. I meant to say this earlier, but if you want you can use the backyard. It's fenced, so no one will see you there."

Slaine irritably stuffed more bread in his mouth. Why? Why did they treat him this way? Was all of this still part of Asseylum's request? Was Kaizuka acting independently? There was no reason for him to do that.  He couldn’t be. Slaine thought of what Yuki had said to him before. "Family.”  He hardly understood the word. At times it was clear that she resented him, and yet she had shown him so much kindness and concern even since the first day.  It seemed so real, and he couldn’t help but wish for it to be real.  But in the end, whether it was undeserved genuine kindness or simply false affection, either way he hated it. He didn't want to owe these people. And more than anything, didn't want to trust them.

Slaine pushed back his chair. "Excuse me," he muttered, and left the table.


	4. Dream

The house was dark and quiet at 4:00 a.m., with all three residents long asleep. Inaho rolled over, breathing softly into his pillow. The nights were still rather cool and he was grateful for the warm blankets that kept him comfortably cocooned until morning.  Or that would have, had he not been woken by a crash and what might have been a yell, coming from somewhere in the house.  He sat up and blinked several times in the darkness, wrenched from his pleasant slumber, and listened intently.  There was no other sound, but he was almost certain it had come from down the hall, and anyway he could hardly go back to sleep without making sure nothing was amiss.

Unwilling as he was to emerge from his warm bed at such an hour, he hauled himself to his feet and trudged down the hall.  He half expected to meet an intruder when he opened Slaine’s bedroom door - though if there had been one, he would have been ill prepared to handle the situation - but was instead surprised to find only the sound of frantic sobbing within.

He had heard from the prison wardens that occasionally Slaine would wake in a panicked, inconsolable state, but he had never yet witnessed it himself.  It didn’t seem unlikely, but it was also hard to imagine someone as proud and willful as Slaine crying like a child.  It was a painful sound.  "Slaine?" he questioned softly as the entered, still a bit drowsy.  He had no gift for this sort of thing, but neither could he burden Yuki with it, especially at this time of night.  Slaine had been entrusted to him.  Asseylum had asked him, specifically, to erase this person’s unhappiness.  As he quietly approached Slaine’s bed, he wondered just what miracles she thought him to be capable of, and how deeply disappointed she would be if he failed.  He doubted it was even possible to mend whatever it was in Slaine that had broken, but come what may, it was worth the attempt.  He firmly believed in that, at least.

Something crunched under his slipper. Glass?  Right, there had been a crash.  If it wasn’t a burglar, then perhaps Slaine had dropped or thrown something.  __ Ignoring it for the time being, he reached out in the darkness and rested a hand on the other’s shoulder. "Slaine…" he repeated hesitantly, wondering belatedly if he should really be interfering. Maybe this would just run its course on its own.  In any case, Slaine hadn't even noticed he was there.  "Hey-” he said a bit louder, shaking him gently this time.

Once again there was no response. Inaho let go of him and stepped back.   _ Crunch.   _ That again.  His hand came away wet, but it was too sticky for tears or sweat.   _ Blood?! _

That was a different matter entirely. He flicked on the bedside lamp, taking care not to step down too hard on the broken glass that he could now see clearly scattered around the floor and desk. It looked like a glass of water had been broken over the edge of the tabletop. There was a good amount of blood on the bed, and immediately his gaze flew to Slaine’s wrists.  Inaho pried the hands away from the Slaine’s face, where he had been hiding his eyes and pulling at his hair.  It was a great relief that both wrists were unscathed, and that the injury to his palm seemed to have been purely accidental.  He had known that self-injury was a possibility, despite Slaine’s clean records from the prison, but he hadn’t actually come up with a plan of action for handling it yet, should it ever become an issue.  Clearly, thorough prevention would be impossible in a house full of potentially lethal ordinary objects.  Now that he’d had one false alarm, he noted it as something he should consider as soon as possible, and prepare for accordingly.  Thankfully, first aid was all tonight’s situation required.

As he applied pressure to the wound, he looked up to see if Slaine had been hurt anywhere else. He looked like a wounded animal, with blood on his cheek and in his hair and a deeply distressed expression on his face. Initiating hugs wasn’t something that normally crossed Inaho’s mind, but even so a hand reached of its own accord to soothingly brush back the feathery hair from those lifeless eyes. Slaine simply stared into his lap, having already cried out all of his energy.

Inaho thought of what to do next. He hadn't really done anything to help, but at least Slaine had stopped crying.  He was glad that none of this had woken Yuki. With this new development, the last thing he wanted was to involve her.  " _ No wonder she sleeps through her alarm every morning… _ " he mused wryly, then aloud, "Let's get you cleaned up…" He pulled back the covers and coaxed Slaine to move with a gentle tug on his arm. Slaine stirred slightly. "Come on, get up."

Slaine’s feet had almost hit the floor when Inaho remembered the glass. He quickly intercepted by sliding an arm under Slaine's knees and lifting up, tipping him back into his other arm. Slaine's head flopped against his chest as he carried him to the door, the blood from his cheek staining the cream-colored pocket of Inaho's pajama shirt.

_ "How can you be this light…" _ Inaho wondered with slight alarm as he set the older boy down in the doorway.  He really shouldn’t have been able to carry Slaine like that to begin with.  His hand was still clasped tightly over Slaine's palm in an attempt to stem the flow of any more blood, and he used it to lead him to the bathroom across the hall.

"Here, sit down and I'll bandage that."

Slaine obediently sat down on a stool by the tub while Inaho rummaged through a cabinet for medical supplies. He came back with a roll of tape and gauze, hoping stitches would not be required.

"She's…" Slaine was barely audible, his lips parted only slightly as he stared vacantly at the tile floor at their feet.

Inaho glanced up from the gauze he was cutting, waiting expectantly for the rest of the sentence. It was a while before Slaine continued.

"She's… alive… right?" He did not raise his eyes, nor did he try to stop the fresh tears that slipped from them.

"You mean Seylum?" Inaho gently cleaned around the cut with a damp cloth as he spoke, "Yes… she's alive. Did you just have a dream about her?"

Slaine nodded wearily.

Of course he had. Hadn't he also dreamt that nightmare a hundred times over? She was shot, twice, right before both of their eyes, after all. And they had both been so young.  Until just now, he had never actually thought about the impact it must have also had on Slaine, regardless of how he might have exploited her and her name afterwards. Looking back, it was all an absurd nightmare. Mere teenagers had fought alongside trained adults, had died alongside them. Perhaps he had grown numb to it all over time, pressed through it because of necessity, but he had never forgotten the sensation of Asseylum's blood as it splashed across his face, or her hands as they slipped like water from his own. Sometimes, if he closed his eyes, he could see her body as it lay bleeding out on the cold steel floor, vivid as if it were playing out all over again. What had it been like for Slaine to watch her linger on the brink of death for weeks, months? He could only imagine the torment of that slow despair.

His own recovery had taken up much of that time, but it still had tortured him in the months that remained. It was what drove him to find her again, to make sure she was alright. Only after the war had he been able to find peace, and put it all behind him.  But for Slaine the nightmare was still real.  None of this was over yet.  He was a prisoner of a war that had ended, a casualty that was still alive, an exile to a homeland that was foreign to him. When he awoke, Asseylum was just as far away. She had not spoken to him since his imprisonment. Not once. He did not have the comforting confirmation of friendly visits, calls, and letters. His only assurance that she was well was Inaho’s word.

He wondered just how long Slaine had been struggling. As a Count, he must have had access to any number of medications and therapeutic treatments. He thought of Slaine's actions during that time, and some of their motives seemed to become a little clearer. Perhaps part of it had just been an elaborate distraction.

Inaho took a clean corner of the damp cloth and pressed it lightly to Slaine's cheek, washing off the sticky red with a few gentle dabs. Then he began cleaning his hair, fingers carefully separating strands that had clumped together. To his surprise, Slaine seemed to relax a little, though his hands were still shaking.

Just as he thought he was done, he glanced down and realized Slaine's shirt was also covered in blood.   _ "What a mess,"  _ he thought with a yawn. It was too late at night for all this.  Still, he couldn't blame Slaine. He could be difficult and incomprehensible in a hundred ways, moody and stubborn, but this at least wasn't his fault.  "Take this shirt off," he said, standing up, "I'll go get a clean one."

When he returned, Slaine was sitting with his shirt in one hand, shivering in the cold air. As he handed him the clean shirt, something caught his attention. Long scars crisscrossed Slaine's chest like cracks in a china plate. Had those always been there? He had never seen them before, but then he had also never seen Slaine's bared chest until now. The question of their origin burned in his mind, but now was not the time for that. It was probably a memory Slaine didn't want to think about, much less discuss with him of all people. It seemed like the more he learned about this person, the more of a mystery he became.

"Are you alright now?" he asked, putting away the medical supplies, "Do you want to go back to sleep?"

Slaine nodded again and Inaho pressed a hand to his forehead to think. He really didn’t feel like cleaning up a big mess at this hour, especially since he should probably vacuum the floor to get up all the glass, and that kind of racket was sure to wake Yuki. Well… there was no avoiding it.

A little while later they were both tucked under Inaho's blanket. Slaine had been reluctant at first, and the slight disgust in his expression gave Inaho some reassurance that he was returning to his usual self.  He must have realized that the alternatives were the cold couch with no clean blankets or a bloody bed possibly containing glass shards, because it was only a moment before he crawled in and curled up at the far edge of the mattress. Inaho followed and breathed with relief as he relaxed in his own bed once more. Finally, he could go back to sleep.

He listened to Slaine's soft breathing, already deepened by sleep.  For someone who had just had a terrifying nightmare, he had managed to doze off exceptionally fast.  It was a good thing, though, because Slaine needed the rest. Inaho knew he would probably never admit to it, but maybe Slaine felt more comfortable sleeping with someone nearby. Was this the first time since he was a child?

Inaho also felt unexpectedly comfortable. It was as though he had less need to worry about Slaine when he was within reach, though he wasn’t sure why he would even worry about someone like that in the first place. It wasn’t as though Asseylum expected this much.  Or maybe she did. To be honest, he wasn't really sure what she expected. He was still figuring out how to fulfill her wish.  _ "Save him from the chains of misery"… _ was it up to him to decide what she meant by that?

_ "I'm the one with the chains of misery here," _ he thought dryly as he felt a knee in his back. Someone was getting a little _ too _ comfortable.

He shifted onto his back and clutched the blanket up under his chin before it could be dragged from him.  After all this time, he had assumed that things would have at least begun to work out with Slaine, but there was little to no progress at all.  He had tried various approaches, all without success, and this house arrest was something like a last ditch effort to force some kind of change.  Any change at all would be welcome.  But saving a person who didn't want to be saved was no simple task. He could see after only a short time of actually living with Slaine that this wasn't just two years of poor choices and traumatic experiences. It was probably a lifetime of larger issues that he knew nothing about. It would be a long process, and one he wasn't entirely sure he was up to.


	5. Dismal

_Thmp thmp thmp!_

Inaho buried his face in his pillow. _Now what?_

"Nao? Nao, don't you have a lecture this morning?" Yuki's voice came from the other side of the door.

He hoisted himself onto one elbow and squinted at the clock. 8:15 a.m. Class started at 8:00 a.m.

He didn't usually use an alarm because he had never needed one; he always woke up naturally, and then he would wake up Yuki, who was accordingly also late this morning. With a long sigh he dropped onto his back and put an arm across his face. There was no point in going now. His attendance was perfect and he had already read the material, so it didn't really matter. Class was more of a formality anyway.

"Nao?"

Ah right, Yuki was still there.

He was opening his mouth to respond to her when the door opened a crack and she stuck her head in. "Are you feeling alri-" she stopped short, suddenly looking oddly flustered, "s-sorry…"

The door closed and Inaho sat up. What was that about...? In any case, he was awake now. May as well get breakfast.  He pushed back the covers and was surprised by a quiet moan.  Immediately the memory of the night before came flooding back, and only then did he realize why Yuki had apologized.

And _that's_ the conclusion she jumped to - ?!

"Seriously, Yuki...?” he said aloud, looking down at the sleeping figure beside him. At least she hadn't heard all the noise last night, it would only have confirmed her wild delusions. As if _that_ would ever happen between them. He shuddered.

Slaine was out cold, curled up on his side and clutching the blanket in both hands.  Only his head was visible, the dark lines of his eyes closed peacefully, mouth open just a bit, and pale hair sprawling like strands of silk across the pillowcase. It was getting kind of long.

Inaho slipped out of bed quietly. There was no reason to wake him, especially when he was sleeping so soundly. He hadn't seen Slaine look this serene since he had come to live here.  Or ever, for that matter.

When he arrived downstairs, Yuki was reading the paper at the kitchen table.

"Good morning, Yuki," he greeted her as he sat down.

"Good morning, Nao."

He poured himself a cup of coffee. "Sorry if I worried you, I didn’t get very good rest last night and ended up oversleeping," he explained casually. Well, that was mostly true.

"Oh! Are you alright?" she leaned across the table to look at him closer.

"I'm fine," he nodded, vaguely wondering if he had inadvertently added fuel to the fire.

For a minute there was only the sound of clinking dishes and crunching toast.

"Nao," Yuki began at last, folding the paper and setting it aside, "I've been thinking… what will you do when this trial period is over? You don't really intend to send him back either way, do you…?"

He looked up at her, a bit surprised. "We'll have to see how things are then. That's what a trial is for, after all. You never know what may happen in the last few days. But…" he paused as he reached for the butter, "I suppose you're right. It doesn't matter what happens between now and then, I don't think I could send him back to that cell."

Yuki smiled. "Mhm, I agree."

* * *

Slaine's eyes opened slowly. The room was dark, save for a single beam of light that ran down from the curtains and across the bed and floor. He wondered what time it was as he snuggled under the blanket further, reluctant to get out. There was no reason to get up just yet, anyway. It wasn't like he had anywhere to be or anything to accomplish. But it was unusual that he felt so at peace when waking. Usually the reason he rolled over and closed his eyes again each morning was because he didn't want to be awake, not because he wanted to be asleep. This was nice.

It was a few minutes before his drowsy mind remembered where he was and how he had gotten there. The peaceful feeling instantly disappeared, and he pulled the blanket over his face as humiliation hit. Of all people, the one who had to see him like that…

He groaned into his pillow. It smelled of shampoo and some kind of spice. What a warm scent -

No, it was irritating.  Everything about Kaizuka was irritating, and all of this was utterly mortifying. He felt his cheeks burn as he remembered Kaizuka's gentle words, his soothing touch, and his warmth and strength as he carried him from the room. That calm eye, tinged with worry as it witnessed all his pathetic misery.  The worst of it was how welcome it had all been to him then. He couldn't remember the last time someone had been there at his lowest moments. Not just physically there – there had been wardens, pretending to be concerned but obviously annoyed – no, not just someone standing there hoping for him to shut up. Comforting words were cheap, and there were precious few that didn't come with impatient judgments and condescending advice. What he had always needed was simply for someone to understand, whether they had any consolation to give or not.

Kaizuka was not the greatest conversationalist, but he had no use for empty words. He had been exactly what he needed just then.  How could the same person provoke such opposite feelings in him? Vexation one moment and serenity the next. It was frustrating and incomprehensible.

Slaine heard the doorknob turn. Great.

He closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep as the sound of footsteps drew closer.

"You should probably get up," came Kaizuka's voice, "or even you won't be able to fall asleep tonight."

 _…"even you"_?

Slaine rolled over and looked at the clock. It was well into the afternoon.

"Don't you have classes?" he asked coolly, pulling the blanket back over his head. He still hadn't regained his composure since remembering the previous night's incident.

"I skipped my morning class because I overslept, but now I'm not feeling well, so I decided to stay home today. I'm not really missing anything, anyway." Slaine felt the bed move under an added weight. "I do kind of want to lie down, though."

Was that a polite "get out"? He didn't want to emerge and look that person in the eye quite yet.

"How does your hand feel?" Kaizuka changed the subject.

There was about a minute of silence, and then he felt cold air as the blanket was taken from him. He stuffed his face deeper into the pillow.

"Come on, get up. At least let me look at your injury."

Slaine felt a hand firmly grasp his wrist. He let Kaizuka take it. A moment later the gauze and tape were gently pulled back.

"Ah, it's starting to heal up already. It needs a new bandage and some salve, though."

Kaizuka dragged him partway out of the bed by his wrist until Slaine reluctantly got up and followed him to the bathroom. He sat down on a stool, repeating the scenario of the night before, and watched quietly as Kaizuka tended to his injury.

"Have you ever had a virus?" Kaizuka inquired suddenly, applying the salve with care as he spoke, "because you're probably going to catch this from me."

Slaine's eyes darted up with alarm. A virus? As in the diseases Count Cruhteo was always so paranoid of? He had not been sick since he was a child, and even those times he could not remember well.  He peered closer at Kaizuka. His face was flushed and his breathing was labored. He didn't seem too bad, though.

"Don't worry, it's not… dangerous or anything," Kaizuka paused, and looked as though he might be having some sort of dizzy spell, "but your body's pretty weak right now… and you have no immunity... to the illnesses here, so… it might be kind of rough on you. Sorry about that." He didn't seem very concerned as he finished taping the new gauze over Slaine's hand.

Kaizuka stood up to put away the supplies and stumbled back a little. "I'm… going to lay down now," he said, taking a few unsteady steps and then stopping to lean against the door frame. "Sorry… but… could you…" he trailed off as he slid to the floor.


	6. Desire

Slaine leapt to his feet as Kaizuka collapsed.

"K-Kaizuka?" he exclaimed, tentatively reaching out a hand.

Kaizuka moved slightly. "I didn’t pass out,” he murmured, “I'm fine…"

_“You're not!”_

"But," he put a hand to his forehead, "I'm so tired…"  He stood up again and wobbled a few steps forward before Slaine caught him by the arm and put it around his shoulder.

"You'll fall again, idiot," he retorted, his heart still pounding from the first scare.

A slight smile crossed Kaizuka's lips. "Is that concern?"

Slaine frowned and resisted the urge to push him over. "Tch."

Soon Kaizuka was back in his bed, shivering under the blanket. Sweat shimmered on his face and neck. Was he cold? Or overheated? Maybe he needed another blanket… but Slaine didn't know where they were kept.  He was now realizing how little he had been paying attention to his surroundings these days, and just how useless he had been for the past several weeks. He didn't even know where to find an extra blanket, or how to cook something, or what kind of things he should do for a sick person.

He sat on the edge of the bed and watched the other closely, unsure of what to do.  Would Kaizuka really be alright like this? He looked so miserable.

"You're still here…" Kaizuka looked at him through a half closed eye, "you shouldn't…"

Slaine leaned down closer to listen, but it seemed he had fallen asleep.

It was a restless sleep. He kept tossing and turning, and his pillow was soon soaked with sweat. His breathing was shallow and irregular.  Was this really ok?  Slaine watched him for a few more minutes before making up his mind. It would be best if he called Yuki. He reached for Kaizuka's phone.

"You're not..." came a faint interjection, "allowed."

That's right, he wasn't supposed to use any communication devices. But what else could he do?

"To hell with that!" he declared, boldly pressing the call button. It was just Yuki, after all.

 _"Nao?  Is everything alright?"_ she answered after only one ring, and it was immediately apparent that Kaizuka probably only ever texted her unless she called him.

Slaine didn't reply at first – he hadn't really thought of what he was going to say.  "M… Miss Yuki..." he began hesitantly.  He had always avoided calling her by name, because he had no idea what to call her.

"Slaine?!" came a surprised whisper, "Did something happen?"

 _“Yes, I think your little brother is seriously ill and I don't know what to do…”_ \- no, he couldn't say that.  He sighed. "Can you come home?"

"Is everything alright?" he could hear the worry in her voice, "Where's Nao?"

"He's… sick. What should I – "

"I'll be there right away!" she cut him off, and hung up.

Not long after, Yuki was at the bedside.  "His fever's so high," she breathed, a hand clasped over her mouth as she looked down at the thermometer. "He's burning up… I need to give him something quickly to bring it down.  He didn’t already take medicine, did he?"

Slaine shook his head.  “I don’t think so.”

After she had given him something to reduce the fever, the two left the room to let him sleep. Downstairs in the kitchen, Yuki poured them each a cup of tea.  She let out a long breath. "It's up to him, now. Nao's always been pretty susceptible to illnesses, but it's been worse since-" she interrupted herself and Slaine looked down at his cup. _Since he was shot,_ he finished in his head. "He says he's fine but I can tell some things still aren't quite right. When he got sick last summer his fever was so high he was hospitalized for four days.  It all could have been avoided if we’d gotten it under control from the beginning, but he never lets anything show till it’s already pretty bad. Agh! What am I going to do with him?"

Slaine watched her sigh into her mug as he thought about what she said. Of course it was too good to be true that Kaizuka had made a complete recovery, just like new. It was a miracle he was alive at all after receiving a shot to the head like that, let alone in a functional, non-vegetative state. The tiniest head injuries could throw a person's body into chaos in the most unexpected ways, and for him, the brain damage must have been immense.  He was extremely lucky for it to have healed so well. Considering all that, it made sense that he had gone downhill so quickly this afternoon, and from what Yuki said about past incidents, he had probably been much worse than he admitted long before it showed.  Slaine wondered how much higher the fever would have climbed if not for Yuki's intervention.

They sat in silence for a while, until eventually Yuki stood up.  "Well! I'll start dinner." He could see the anxiety through her smile. Upon closer inspection, her face looked a little red, too.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked when she looked back at him questioningly.

"Mm? Oh… yeah… I think I've got it, too," she laughed a little, "I'm tough, though. I'll be fine. We probably caught it from Marito, that moron came in sick last week. I'll kill him."

He watched her gather ingredients and dishes, and sensed a familiar feeling resurfacing in him today.  An impulse to make himself useful.  A wish to give his very best to those who were inexplicably good to him.  He thought he had finally given up on that somewhere amidst that last battle with Kaizuka, when the realization that he was only ever a failure had hit him full force. He had failed to protect Asseylum.  He had failed to make her smile, or be of service to her at all. He had failed to lead Vers to a brighter future. It had been stupid of him to think he could succeed in taking down Kaizuka Inaho.  He was the hero on whom the Princess truly depended, after all.

All his life, Slaine had only ever striven to give his all for someone, to be useful to them, if only in bringing a smile to their face. Just one person was enough. If he couldn't accomplish that much, then there was no point in being alive.  That’s what he had always believed, but now… he wondered if it wasn’t still worthwhile to try.

"Can I help with something?" he asked Yuki, setting down his tea and standing up.

"Oh! Thank you!" she looked grateful as she handed him some vegetables to wash.

He would probably never be necessary, but right now, for a little while at least, maybe someone needed him.

* * *

For four days Kaizuka remained in bed, fighting his fever. There were many times when Yuki wanted to take him to the hospital, but then he would seem to improve again, awake and able to talk and eat. But it would only be for a few hours until the medicine began to wear off. With Yuki ill as well, it was Slaine who had to monitor his temperature periodically throughout the night and keep track of his doses.

He hated those nights. They reminded him of the times he had visited Asseylum, her endless slumber slowly chipping away at his soul.  He had already seen more than enough of that sleeping face, of Kaizuka’s chest as it rose and fell with faint, troubled breaths, and of the empty space where his left eye should have been. Why had he destroyed it? Slaine could never really remember why he had fired that day. It had felt so natural then, a simple, rational act – they had been enemies.

Since when had that changed?

* * *

On the fifth morning Kaizuka's fever vanished. When Slaine awoke he was sitting up, looking down at him.  "Morning…" Kaizuka said with a quiet smile. His hair was damp with sweat. His clothes, too.

Slaine sat up and rubbed his eyes. He must have fallen asleep when he came to check on Kaizuka last night.  "Good morning," he replied sleepily. "Are you hungry?" In the past few days, Yuki had taught him some cooking. It came easier to him than he imagined it would, and the result was that he could now make a few things on his own. "Do you want anything?" he asked.

Kaizuka leaned his head back against the wall. "I want you to go get some rest."

"But-"

"I'm fine, see?" he showed Slaine the thermometer, which now registered a normal temperature. "Now go sleep."

Slaine slid off the bed onto his feet. He was exhausted, and his body felt heavy as he trudged to his room. He was unusually chilled, too. Was this…?

Ah, apparently it was finally his turn.

* * *

The next day, a friend dropped by to give Kaizuka notes and recordings she had made of the lectures. Slaine had gotten somewhat used to other people coming over periodically. He simply closed his door and hoped nobody got curious on their way to the bathroom.  Kaizuka talked to her downstairs for a little while, and then he heard a set of footsteps on the stairs.

"Want to listen to these with me?" said Kaizuka as he entered the room. "Biology's not really my thing so I need to go over what I missed." It was maybe an odd suggestion, but a welcome one nonetheless.

Slaine rolled over. This fever wasn't really all that bad. It was uncomfortable and tiring, but mostly it was just boring. Nothing compared to Kaizuka's ordeal - and he had made it sound like it would be the other way around.

A biology lecture… that sounded nice. He had never heard one before; most of his knowledge was from materials his father had left behind. They were probably outdated.  He nodded and Inaho pulled up a chair. Setting the textbook between them, he pressed play and the audio began.

At first it was only the sound of shuffling chairs and chatter amongst students, until finally the professor's voice could be heard and the room quieted down.

 _"Good morning, everyone,"_ he greeted them, _"Before I begin, let's go over some upcoming assignments, as well as the exam next Thursday."_

 _"Will the exam be graded on a curve?"_ a male voice interjected.

_"In all likelihood, yes."_

There was a collective sigh of relief, but a few seemed less pleased.

_"You know Kaizuka will ruin it for all of us normal people."_

_"Yeah, don't count him!"_

_"Why is he even in this class?"_

The professor seemed to be having trouble keeping order.

"Pfff-ftt… ahaha! hahaha!"

Kaizuka looked up in astonishment. Slaine didn’t really get what they were talking about, but one thing was clear, and now he was laughing so much that he could hardly breathe.  "You- pffft- you're…" he tried to speak, "you're actually... hated... too… aren't you? Bahaha!"

Kaizuka didn't even try to defend himself, he was so entranced by the rare sight before him.  Slaine realized he’d probably not laughed in so long that this was the first time Kaizuka would have witnessed it.  At this point, he didn’t really care.  Kaizuka had already seen too much, one more thing wouldn’t matter.

When he eventually managed to quiet down, they continued listening. Slaine looked closely at the textbook in front of him, absorbing every word from the professor as he followed along. He was already familiar with some of the material, but other aspects were entirely new to him.  When it was finished, Kaizuka closed the book. He seemed somewhat relieved, as though he had been fighting sleep for a while.

"Do you have a favorite subject?" he asked with a yawn.

Slaine thought for a moment. He had always liked the sciences, but perhaps that was because of his childhood and circumstances.  "Natural science… I guess," he said absently. “Not that it matters anymore.”  It wasn’t like he could use knowledge for anything now.

There was a creak as Kaizuka leaned back in his chair. "You know, you don't have to have a reason to do something you enjoy. If you have something you want to do, if you like it, then do it."

Slaine sighed. "Easy for you to say." If he could do whatever he wanted, this wouldn't be much of a sentence.  Even this living arrangement was far too lenient considering his crimes, and lately he had begun to feel somehow lighter than when he first came to live with the Kaizukas, like an invisible weight was being lifted away. Sometimes, just sometimes, he forgot why it was that he hated himself. He thought less often about death, too.  Distraction was maybe a large part of that, something the prison had never afforded him, but in the end this didn’t feel like captivity at all.  He couldn’t make up his mind whether he was bothered or relieved by it.

What _was_ the thing he wanted to do? Was there such a thing?

There was only one thing within his reach that he could think of.  "I'd like…," his hands tightened on the blanket and a light blush colored his cheeks, "I'd like to… plant things. Maybe a flower garden, or herbs."  Kaizuka seemed a little surprised, and he wondered if his simple desire sounded silly to someone with a real future.  He looked away.  “So?  What’s your favorite?”

There was a pause, and then, “I don’t know.”

“What?”

“I don’t really have a preference, so it’s simplest to do what I’m good at.”

Feeling somewhat cheated with this answer, Slaine gave him a tired look.  “You really should take your own advice, you know…”

Kaizuka stood up and returned the chair to its place.  "Inko recorded chemistry, too, if you're interested. But first you should rest."

Slaine did feel quite tired.  He lay back down and pulled the blanket up. "You too," he murmured as he closed his eyes. “You’ll get sick again if you don’t take it easy.” He knew Kaizuka wasn't completely well yet.  Somehow it was becoming easier to see through him.

He heard the rustle of papers as Kaizuka gathered up the class materials.  “Okay.”


	7. Defy

Slaine lay back onto the grassy lawn and looked up at the sky. There were a few airy wisps of clouds gently traveling across the sapphire expanse.

_ "It's Rayleigh scattering…"  _ He frowned as he remembered Kaizuka’s words.  They had argued briefly and then Slaine had realized he was mistaken. He wasn't really surprised, though.

They argued more often these days, probably because it was harder for him to ignore someone so constantly in his immediate vicinity, but the intense, incomprehensible animosity he had felt towards Kaizuka for all these years seemed to have mysteriously vanished. Ever since that week, when they had each in turn been vulnerable and were forced to depend on the other, it was as though a veil between them had fallen and they could see one another more clearly. Even so, there were still many unanswered questions on both sides.

After Slaine, in his fevered state, admitted that he wanted to cultivate plants, he discovered a seed catalogue on his desk. Then when Yuki found out, she had enthusiastically dragged him outside and shown him where her neglected tools were stored, and now here he was digging in the dirt, planting seeds by the morning light.

He couldn't understand why they insisted on something like this. Why they would go out of their way for him was inexplicable. And the thought that had always lingered in his mind had recently grown much more intrusive –  _ "Is this for Asseylum, or…?"   _ Just how far would Kaizuka go for her?

_ "It wasn't me. It's what Princess Asseylum wants. Seylum asked me to save you." _

He understood completely. The desire to see her safe, to see her happy, to fulfill any and every wish in her heart. But did Kaizuka know the pain of never being the one on whom she depended? Of every effort going to waste as she took someone else's hand? Perhaps that was why – no, deep down he had always known it was why he had hated Kaizuka so much.  He could package it as simple wartime enmity, or as animosity born from betrayal, but at its core it had always been the ugliest form of envy.

A part of him wished she had never made that request, much less entrusted it to Kaizuka Inaho of all people. He wished that he had never received her kindness when he had nothing to give in return. Even without pride, living on her charity was a miserable existence. Lemrina would have much to say about it.

Slaine stood up and brushed the dirt off his hands. After putting the tools away in the shed, he headed back inside.  He took his shoes off by the door, careful not to track in dirt. Kaizuka would slaughter him. As he got himself something to drink in the kitchen, suddenly someone pinched his side. He nearly spat out his water.

"M-Miss Yuki?!" he choked.

She laughed playfully. "Look who's gained weight!" she said with a thumbs-up.

So that was it. He let out a breath as his heartbeat returned to its normal pace. But before he could reply, two hands closed around his waist and lifted him up.

"Mm, about five kilograms… maybe six?" said Kaizuka matter-of-factly, setting him down again.

Slaine stood in stunned silence as the other walked to the fridge.

"Nao, you should warn people before you pick them up," Yuki chided him, though she looked quite amused. Probably because Slaine was rapidly turning pink.  Kaizuka was about to reply when the doorbell rang.  "Oh, were you expecting someone, Nao?" asked Yuki.

It was a Saturday morning – most of his friends were probably asleep.  Whoever it was, Slaine wasn’t going to stick around to find out, and promptly vanished upstairs as he always did when someone turned up at the house.  He had only been in his room for a few minutes when he heard Yuki call up the stairs to him.

"Slaine!" her voice seemed strange, "Ah… you can… can you come down for a minute?"

Who had come to visit that he was allowed to see? And why was Yuki being so weird about it…

He quietly emerged from his room and descended the stairs with unease.  When he entered the room below, he felt his heart sink into his stomach.  Two government officials were seated on the livingroom couch, talking with the Kaizukas.

"He's gotten rather comfortable, don't you think?" commented the older looking man as he glanced up at Slaine with a critical eye.

Unlike the tense Yuki, Kaizuka did not seem on edge at all. In fact, he looked the most relaxed of anyone in the room.  "I do," he responded calmly as he poured tea. "This is a private residence. I should hope anyone living here would be comfortable."

"A-anyway," continued the official after a long pause, "I regret to inform you that the partial-release of Slaine Troyard, initiated some time ago, was never properly authorized and is therefore invalid. As penalty for breaking the terms of his imprisonment, he is to be transferred to a maximum-security facility for the duration of his sentence. We will be taking him into custody immediately."

Slaine's fists clenched in his lap. Why had he come here at all if it was just going to end like this? Now he was going to be worse off than before – at another facility he would not be near the Kaizukas, and there was no one else in this galaxy who would visit him. Well, this was a good opportunity for them to get rid of him with no hard feelings. Kaizuka could get out of his obligation to Asseylum if it was beyond his control. He had only ever been a burden to them, after all.

Kaizuka leaned back against the couch cushions. "No, you will not."

Slaine's eyes darted up.  _ What?! _ He wasn’t sure why Kaizuka was doing this, but he needed to stop before he got himself into trouble.

The man opened his mouth as if to speak, and then clamped it shut again. He didn't seem to know how to handle such bold, unapologetic opposition.

Kaizuka continued, "Even if there were a problem with the authorization, which there isn't, there are absolutely no grounds for changing the sentence of someone who has done nothing against the rules and restrictions set for him. It's illegal."

"Slaine Troyard has no legal existence," countered the second man as he adjusted his glasses, "Someone who is dead cannot be protected by the law."

" _ I  _ am his legal existence. I will protect him."

Slaine sat silently by Yuki, observing the conversation with increasing confusion. He almost wondered why he needed to be there if no one was going to address him, but at the same time he was grateful for not having to speak.

The older man was starting to get angry. "Ha! Who do you think you are?" he scoffed, "Just because you cozied up with a Martian princess and did a few impressive things in the war to earn yourself some rank, you think that gives you the authority to determine the management of a global threat? You will cede that menace to us, or I will have you  _ and _ your sister arrested for obstruction, Kaizuka Inaho."

The room went quiet. But not because Kaizuka had nothing to say. Rather, it looked more like he was trying to hold back from saying something. Slaine had seen many of Kaizuka's limited expressions over the years, but never this one. He was livid.

Kaizuka took a long, deep breath and set his teacup down on the table. "Apparently you are not well-informed about this case," he began in a cold, even tone, "That, and the fact that I've never seen you before, probably means you're new. Or maybe you're just not all that important. I'd really rather not explain this now since I have better things to do, but as you obviously lack the initiative to perform adequate research prior to forming judgments and taking action, I will enlighten you."

_ What are you doing?  _ Slaine listened in bewilderment. Why would he go through all this trouble? He didn't need to. This was his chance to get out of this for good.

"Slaine Troyard is a citizen of Vers. His citizenship was secretly reinstated following the war, by the Empress herself. Through a mutual agreement between the UFE and Vers, Slaine was handed over to the UFE for incarceration here on Earth. The compromise for keeping him, protecting him, and allowing him to live was that they be allowed to officially declare him dead to the public. Naturally, this information could not be widespread, and thus there are only a select few who are supposed to know that he is alive. However, should the terms change, they must first be approved by both the UFE and Vers. You do not have the authority to alter his sentence so easily. It is also why the authorization for his current situation was not run through you – I brought it directly to those above you."

Both men now appeared extremely uncomfortable, while Yuki seemed to have forgotten her anxiety and looked at her brother with a proud grin.  But it was Slaine who was the most surprised. Even he was not aware of most of what he had just heard. And then he was also mesmerized by this different Kaizuka before him. He had almost forgotten this side of him after seeing him for so long as the soft-spoken nineteen-year-old who wore oversized sweaters and invariably won at chess.

"By the way," Kaizuka added, taking a sip of tea, "I am well aware of your true intentions. You mean to place him out of my reach, where you can more easily do as you wish without opposition. But as you can see, the execution of Slaine Troyard is far beyond your prerogative. I personally have the direct support of the Empress of Vers, as her representative in the defense and protection of Slaine. Her involvement in this matter is not to be taken lightly. Unless you wish for this to become a matter of interplanetary proportions, I suggest you leave now."

The older man's eye twitched as he stared at Kaizuka in silence. Then the two stood, gave hasty, awkward farewells, and departed as quickly as they had come.  When they were gone, Kaizuka began clearing away the cups. Yuki stood up to help him, and Slaine sat quietly on the couch, still trying to comprehend what had just happened.

"Slaine? Are you alright?" asked Yuki, tapping him lightly on the shoulder.

He blinked at her, and then suddenly tears began to fall.

Slaine wasn't sure why he was crying. All he felt was overwhelming relief. He didn't care anymore. He didn't care what Kaizuka's true motivation was, or whether Yuki ever forgave him. None of that mattered. All he wanted was to stay with them. Even if he was a burden, he wanted to stay here with these people. These siblings who treated him like he belonged.

After a few minutes, he wiped his eyes and stood up.

"I'm going back outside."

* * *

As Slaine stepped into the backyard, he looked up at the sky again. Was Asseylum up there somewhere? He wondered what she was doing right now. These plants reminded him of her. This beautiful Earth… it was a shame she could never live here amongst the nature she loved so much.

He opened the garden shed door and stepped inside, but something was on the floor and he tripped.

"Ow!" cried a female voice from beneath him.

He froze. This voice…

"G-get off!" she squeaked, shoving him aside.

This voice…

She ran out of the shed and he stared after her.

"Who are you?!" she demanded, her cheeks flushed.

He could now see her in the afternoon sun. She had strawberry hair, pushed back from her face with a beaded headband, and wore a pink cloak and skirt. Her green eyes widened as they rested on him. He had never seen her before, and yet...

"S…Slaine?!"


	8. Disarray

"S…Slaine?!" even in her astonishment, the word rolled off her tongue like a familiar melody.  He had thought he would never hear his own name in that voice again. Could it really be…?

"Princess… Asseylum?" he breathed. He knew she was no longer just a princess, but it was all he had ever called her.

She clasped her hands in front of her and dropped her gaze to the ground. "You… look well."

Did he really? Probably not. His naturally unruly hair had grown out a lot, and many of his bones were still visible beneath the thin layer of his skin. She seemed to notice, too, judging by the look on her face when she lifted her eyes again and really saw him. But there wasn't much else to say in this unexpected situation. There had been so many questions he wanted to ask her, things he had wanted to tell her… but now that he was face-to-face with her, he could remember none of them. His mind went completely blank as he stood in her presence for the first time in nearly two years.

After a minute or so if silence, she seemed to have recovered some of her composure.  "I came to speak with Inaho," she explained.

 _"No surprise there,_ " he thought dryly. Yet somehow he felt no resentment over it.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she continued, "But when I arrived, I saw there were some government people here… it would be a problem if I ran into them, so I…"

So that's why she was in the garden shed. Still, he couldn't help but wonder why the Empress of Vers was wandering around alone, disguised as a Terran civilian and hiding in someone's backyard.

"Where is Eddelrittuo?" he finally managed to say, though his voice was barely audible.

"Ah, she's…" Asseylum smiled a bit sheepishly, "Eddelrittuo has taken my place for a while, so that I can move about more freely today."

That sounded like her. Still, the last time Asseylum had used a decoy on Earth, it had not ended well for the decoy. No one had mourned that poor girl, either. But the violet-eyed handmaiden was a brave little thing, perhaps more so than anyone else he had ever known. She had neither physical strength nor genius, yet her heart never wavered. He was glad that she still remained by Asseylum's side.

"She has become a very capable woman," added Asseylum, seeming to read his thoughts.  It was hard to imagine it, but the girl would be about sixteen now.  "This…" the young Empress looked around her with bright eyes, "this yard looks very beautiful… did you do this, Slaine?"

He nodded, taken aback by the unexpected observation. "I haven't done much yet. The roses were planted by Miss Kaizuka a few years ago."

She crouched down to smell one. "Ah, but they didn't bloom the last time I was here. You were always so knowledgeable about plants."  With her back still to him, she continued in a quieter tone, "Slaine, I'm… sorry that I've avoided you."

He watched her tenderly cup a pink rose in her small white hand.  "In these past two years as Empress of Vers, I have seen the suffering, the anger, and the longing of my people. My eyes have been opened, and it is all thanks to you, Slaine. Eddelrittuo told me of your wish to end the misery of the people of Vers, to bring equality and prosperity to all. That dream… it would indeed have been a beautiful gift. But," she released the bloom, her hand falling back to her side, "it was not something to be achieved through war. I still deeply regret your actions; it grieves me to think of all of those who lost their lives so needlessly."

She stood up and turned to him. Her eyes were damp and she seemed uncertain, almost hesitant to continue, yet her gaze did not waver from him.  "I should have spoken with you as you asked of me, and more so I should have come to see you here on Earth. I am ashamed to admit that I stayed away because I was afraid to see you changed so much from the boy I remembered. It scared me so much to see you that way, no longer gentle and… shy. But I've come to realize that you were there all along. People grow, and change, and perhaps they seem different, but deep inside they remain the same. You are still Slaine. You are still the boy from my childhood." She grasped one of his trembling hands in both her own. "And now that I see you again, I am even surer of my resolve… Slaine, will you return to Vers?"

The shock barely registered, as if he did not fully comprehend what she was saying. He stared at her in silent confusion.

"This is the thing that I wished to discuss with Inaho today. Slaine, I want to mend this rift – please come with me. Here on Earth you must remain a captive, but on Vers I can set you free. There is a secluded place where you would be safe and unobserved. I would like more than anything to reveal the truth about you, but there are many who would still try to harm you. I know that there are counts who remain bitter, towards both me and you."

He should have been surprised, overjoyed, relieved, but all he felt was disoriented.

Seeing he was staggering under the weight of this sudden information, she added gently, "there is no need to answer right away. I suppose this is your home now, after all. Slaine," she cupped his cheek in the palm of her hand, "I wish you well. Before I return to Vers, I will come again."  Stepping back, Asseylum smiled at him as she brushed away her tears. "Until then, goodbye."

He watched her leave through the garden gate, unable to form a reply. What….?

What?

_What?_

* * *

Slaine didn't mention his encounter with Asseylum to the Kaizukas. Not because he didn't wish them to know, but rather because he didn't know how to talk about it. He needed more time to think. It felt like his head was still spinning from some strange dream.

As the days passed, the shock dulled and he put the matter at the back of his mind. The fact that he had doubts at all frustrated him. He didn't want to deal with it right now. There was no reason to refuse her offer, and yet…

"Yuki, you'll like this…" said Kaizuka as he entered the kitchen one evening, casually scrolling on his phone.

Slaine was washing dishes at the sink while Yuki prepared dinner.

"Hm? What is it?"

"As a formal apology for what happened the other day, the UFE is giving us a free vacation. A private beach residence for a weekend… should I accept?"

"Whoa, really? Slaine, too?"

"Yeah. They'll make an exception for it."

Slaine looked over his shoulder, "Wait, the beach?"

"Come on, it'll be great!" insisted Yuki as she elbowed him good-naturedly, a vegetable knife still in her hand.

He leaned away, "H-hey! Be more careful with that…"

"We need a vacation. _I_ need a vacation. And Slaine, this is your chance to get out for a bit. You've been cooped up at this house for almost two months."

Slaine dried a plate and put it in the cupboard.  It would probably ruin her good mood for him to point out that two months in a cozy home did not even remotely qualify as ‘cooped up’ after having spent a year and a half in a prison cell.  He shrugged. "I suppose…"

"So that's a yes, then?"

* * *

When the three arrived at the house the following Friday, it was nearly dark. The evening light was quickly fading as they carried their bags into the house. Kaizuka flicked on the lights and entered first. It was small, but it had a luxurious bath and a nice, modern kitchen. After they had explored a bit, they sat down for a late supper.

"So, the new rule is Slaine has to stay within forty meters of you?" Yuki asked between mouthfuls.

"Thirty."

This invisible tether would probably be a bit inconvenient, but it did allow him some freedom. It was fortunate he had a good eye for distance. Not that he planned to roam too much. The last time he had been on a beach was not exactly a pleasant memory.

"Ahhh I'm going to bed early," Yuki yawned. She got up from the table and put her dishes in the sink, "I call first bath!"

The boys stayed up for a bit longer playing an unusually long game of chess. At long last, Kaizuka brought it to a close and the two went to sleep as well.

* * *

The next morning, Yuki crawled to the kitchen in a t-shirt and sweatpants. She yawned loudly, strands of hair sticking to her mouth.

"Morning, Nao," she drowsily greeted her brother, who was already up and preparing breakfast. "You look tired. Did you not sleep well?"

He carefully folded an omelet. "I'm not sure anyone could sleep with someone kicking them all night long."

"What? I'm not that bad," Slaine interjected defensively as he entered the room, looking somewhat offended.

"I have bruises."

"That's… that's because it was too hot."

"Not everyone grew up in space."

Slaine frowned.  "How are you always so cold when you put off so much heat? It doesn't make any sense."

"If I'm making you hot then keep your hands to yourself. Anyone would get overheated clinging to a person like that."

"Eh? What? When did…"

Kaizuka shoved a plate at him. "I'm going outside."

"Ah, Nao… if it's a problem, we can switch," Yuki called after him.

He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Huh? What are you talking about? You can't do that – he'd violate you in your sleep, too. And did you forget the part where I said I have bruises?" He slid the door closed.

"Pffft," Yuki stifled a laugh, "Slaine, it's definitely more fun with you around. I haven't seen him this lively in a while."

 _"Lively…?"_ Slaine began eating his omelet with a sour expression.

"You should open the window next time," suggested Yuki, apparently trying to lighten the mood. They had barely just started their vacation and he was already bickering with Kaizuka more than usual. The change in atmosphere seemed to have an effect on both of them, not to mention some new challenges.

Slaine stabbed his breakfast with a fork, "I did, but he got up and closed it."

"Ah. Nao can be stubborn. Don't let him win, ok?"

Like that would be easy. All he ever did was win.

* * *

Slaine stepped onto the sand. It felt nice under his feet as a cool breeze tousled his hair and the morning sun warmed his skin. He was borrowing a swimsuit from Kaizuka, though he had no intention of going in the water. Yuki had insisted he wear it either way.

"Slaine-! Wait!" she hollered after him from the porch. "You need sunscreen!"

He waited for her to catch up. She was hauling a chair, an umbrella, and a large bag. A blue tank top hung loosely over her swimsuit.

"Here!" she huffed, trying to hand him the sunscreen without putting anything else down.

He looked at the bottle curiously. "What is that?"

"It'll protect you from the sun. Put it on quick! You'll fry out here. Nao, you help him with it – I'm going to set up over there."

"Don't volunteer me, Yuki…" he objected, though he took the bottle anyway. He turned to Slaine. "Here, put this on your arms, I'll get your back since this shirt's pretty thin," said Kaizuka as he squirted some of the creamy substance onto Slaine's hand. Slaine was about to reply when he felt the other pull up his shirt from behind and start rubbing the cold, wet lotion into his back. He jerked away at the contact.

"It's not _that_ cold. Hold still…"

Slaine gritted his teeth while he felt his face grow warm with mortification. Over the course of his life, practically the only time anyone had initiated contact with him was to inflict pain.  Bracing himself for it had become instinctive, and thus no matter how gentle, he could hardly help tensing under those fingers as they slid unceremoniously over his skin.

"She won't ask about it, in case you were worried," said Kaizuka as he finished and returned the bottle.  Apparently he had misinterpreted the look on Slaine’s face, which came as somewhat of a relief.

Slaine had almost forgotten that Kaizuka had already seen his scars a while before this. But that didn't particularly bother him – they were not something he was ashamed of. In reality, he kept his shirt on because it felt strange and vulnerable being outside wearing so little. Even regular Terran summer clothes were so light in comparison to the formal, year-round Vers uniforms. He wasn't about to admit that to Kaizuka, though.  And anyway, Kaizuka was wearing a sweater. Not exactly beach attire.

"You two are so boring," Yuki complained after about half an hour of lying in her chair while the guys read books. "I'm going for a walk."

She stood up and brushed herself off. Then, grabbing a pretty sun-hat from her bag, she headed down the beach in the direction of some large rock formations.


	9. Danger

"Hasn't she been gone a little too long?" Slaine squinted in the direction Yuki had headed for her walk.

"It's only been thirty minutes,” Kaizuka pointed out, and calmly turned a page. “She's probably trying to climb those rocks."

After another fifteen minutes had passed, Slaine put down his book and stood up. "I'm going for a walk, too."

"A thirty meter walk?"

"… right." He had already forgotten about his new tracking radius.

Before he could sit down again, Kaizuka added, "I'll go with you," and got to his feet.

They walked down the beach for a while, neither saying anything. The call of gulls mixed with the steady rhythm of the waves as they sloshed onto the beach and then retreated in an endless cycle. The morning chill had all but disappeared as the sun beat down through a cloudless sky. Kaizuka pulled off his sweater.

"Don't you need that sun-whatever?" asked Slaine, stooping to pick up a shell.

"I already put it on before we left the house."

Kaizuka slung the sweater over his shoulder as they continued walking.

When they neared the rocks, both started looking around for Yuki. She was nowhere in sight. They picked up their pace in unspoken agreement.

"Yuki?" called Kaizuka as they passed under some of the rocks to the beach on the other side.

For a while Slaine had sensed that something was off, but the moment his eyes landed on Yuki’s sunhat, discarded and dirtied in the wet sand, he was certain they were in imminent danger.  “Kaizuka, wait…” he called out, and retreated a few steps under the rocks. It was already too late. Someone grabbed him from behind and put a cloth to his face, and as his vision faded, he saw that Kaizuka was struggling against someone, too.  He seemed to be holding his own fairly well, but Slaine knew there was little chance he would win when it became two against one.  

_ "I hope he'll be… okay…" _ he thought hazily as he blacked out.

* * *

When Slaine woke up, it was completely dark. He blinked a few times just to be sure his eyes were actually open.

"Slaine, are you awake?" he heard Yuki whisper.

He turned in the direction of her voice. “Miss Yuki?!  Are you alright?” he whispered back, “Where are we?"

All he knew was that they were nearly on top of each other in some kind of tiny, metal space.

"I have no idea, but I don't think Nao is here. Argh!" she groaned a little too loudly, "My vacation is ruined!"

That's what she was worried about? He wondered if Kaizuka really did get away. If that were true, he'd surely come for Yuki once he'd figured something out. And he always figured something out. Slaine tried to move, but his ankles and wrists were tied.

His ankle… !

He felt for the tracking anklet. It was still there, of course, since it was designed to prevent any regular tool from cutting through it; but it wasn't reacting to the distance from Kaizuka's phone. Did that mean he was nearby? Or just that they had stolen his phone. Maybe he had deactivated it.  As he was sorting things out in his mind, which was still rather hazy, a door opened above and a man peered down at them.

"Hey, they're awake," he said to someone else behind him. His sharp eyes fixed on Yuki. "What are we going to do with the woman?"

"Boss said not to get her involved but she just appeared outta nowhere," said another, "It’s not our fault."

The first man put a hand to his chin. "We can't let her go now that she's seen us. Maybe we should just get rid of her now."

"Nah, what if she's worth something? She's related to that one-eyed brat, y'know."

The sound of a metal door opening interrupted them.

"Did you get him?"

"Just barely," replied the one who had just entered.

"Ha ha! He really went for your face."

The newcomer grunted in response and there was a thud that sounded like a body hitting the floor.

Slaine felt Yuki jump slightly. A few moments later, Kaizuka was tossed down on top of them.

"Hey! Careful with him, we need that one alive."

The door slammed shut again and the voices became too difficult to hear clearly.

"N-Nao?" Yuki called his name as she shook him gently.

He moved slightly. "Yu…ki…"

"What happened?! Did you fight that man?"

"I'm…" Kaizuka answered weakly, "no good at… hand-to-hand…" Slaine could feel that he was trying to sit up, but he only kept falling back into their laps. It didn't help that he was slick with his own blood.

"I'd say not – you're bleeding all over," commented Slaine, his voice betraying his concern. It felt like way too much blood for a fist fight. "Did he have a weapon?" he asked, not really wanting to know the answer. A gunshot wound would be seriously bad news.

"A… knife…"

Slaine felt his stomach twist in knots. He wanted to help Kaizuka but his hands were literally tied. It was too dark to do much, anyway, except hope there were no serious wounds. He couldn't bring himself to ask that question. By the sound of Yuki's quiet fretting, she wasn't prepared to ask either. He was speaking to them, he was breathing, he was warm – for now, that was enough.

They waited in silence for what seemed like an eternity. There was not enough information with which to form an escape plan, even if Kaizuka had been in a condition to run. Besides, it felt like they were moving. This was probably some sort of vehicle they were in.

Eventually the door opened again and the three were blindfolded and hauled out of their tiny cell. Then their feet were untied and they were made to walk along an unknown path, following their captors blindly.  Kaizuka was stumbling quite a bit, until eventually one of the abductors picked him up and roughly slung him over his shoulder. Slaine could feel the trail of blood he was leaving beneath his bare feet.

After a while of tramping through echoing halls and up grated steps - all unpleasantly familiar as he realized exactly in what sort of place they must be - they were pushed into a room and their blindfolds were removed.  It was a large dining room, and seated at the head of the table was a man dressed in the uniform of a Count of the Orbital Knights. He glanced up from his meal as they entered.

"We've brought them, milord," said one of the captors as all three bowed to him.

"How disgusting… I've lost my appetite." The man set his napkin alongside his plate and pushed back his chair. He walked towards them, his low-heeled shoes clicking against the steel floor, and knelt directly in front of Kaizuka. Taking his chin in one hand, the man turned Kaizuka’s face to examine him. "So this runt is the one-eyed Terran boy who is rumored to have received an irrevocable activation factor from the Empress herself. It's almost disappointing… I expected someone with such a reputation to be more impressive." He released his grip and slapped Kaizuka's cheek lightly, "But no matter, you'll still do."

_ "He wants Kaizuka’s activation factor?" _ Slaine tried to sort out the situation in his head. But if this man was really a count, shouldn't he have it himself?  Unless…

_ "I know that there are counts who remain bitter, towards both me and you."  _ Asseylum's words brought sudden clarity to the situation.  It wasn't the activation factor he was after – that was easy enough to obtain with the new policies – it was Kaizuka himself, as a dear, personal friend of the Empress. This man must have been deprived of his position, perhaps for some crime he committed against the Empire. And now he was trying to get revenge. No matter how a government changes, for better or worse, there are always those who oppose it. Dangerous rebels can be found anywhere. The real question was why he was roaming about and not in prison. Perhaps it was more of Asseylum's naïve leniency at work.

"Should we dispose of these two now, milord? The woman saw us, so we took her too, even though you said-"

"Mm… no,” the count interrupted, “On second thought, I’m glad that you brought her. It will make it easier to keep him under control."

Slaine's eyes narrowed. He did not remember this man, but he must have seen him at some point. Or… no, there were some counts he had never met during his time of leadership, and others who had died in the war and must by now have been succeeded by heirs he would not have been acquainted with. This man looked young, so the latter was entirely possible. Great – a guy with a grudge against him, too, most likely.

Just as he was thinking this, the count turned his attention to him.

"Well if it isn't Slaine Troyard in the flesh," he pushed Slaine's head to the floor with his foot, "You can imagine my surprise when I was approached with the request for your head. So it's true that you're alive. How did it feel when she clipped your wings and turned her back as you fell to Earth?"

Slaine glared up at him. "From the looks of things, you know from experience."

The man ground Slaine's face into the metal grating of the floor. "Don't get cheeky with me, filth," he spat, "Not that you'll be able to talk much longer, anyway. I'm going to kill you."

"Don't you dare tou-" Yuki was cut off by a kick to the face.

"Quiet, bitch," he snapped.

She fell backwards, her head slamming against the metal floor.  They both watched in angry shock, unable to do anything.

"Ah, she passed out..." the man lazily ran a hand through his blonde hair. "Oh well.  Take them to their cell, I’ll finish with them later."


	10. Dear

After the count had sent them away, the three were tossed into a detention cell. Soon the ropes around their wrists were replaced with shackles and their ankles were chained to the wall.

"What should we do about this thing?" asked one of the men.

They crowded round Slaine, analyzing his tracking anklet.

"He turned it off so it should be fine, right?" said another.

"Maybe we should cut it off in case.  He could have sent some kind of signal."

After some arguing amongst themselves, they decided to leave the anklet and depart. The moment the three were alone again, the boys went straight to Yuki's side as far as their chains would allow. They moved her to a more comfortable position and checked her pulse and the place where she had hit her head. Once they had confirmed that she was alright and breathed sighs of relief, Slaine turned to him.

"You should be resting," said Slaine with a light shove against his chest.  He sank down onto the floor and leaned back against the cell wall. Meanwhile, Slaine kneeled in front of him.  "Where are you bleeding?" he asked, scanning Inaho’s body quickly with his eyes.  There was so much blood coating his skin, both dried and fresh, that it was hard to tell where it was all coming from. There was just a sticky mess.

"Nothing major," he brushed it off.  There was no reason to add more stress to the situation. "I'm feeling ok now, don't worry about it."

Slaine frowned at him. "Kaizuka, I’m the last person you need to impress, so stop hiding things like this from me.  It’s a pain. Where are you hurt?" he repeated more adamantly.

"I…" Inaho hesitated. Those azure eyes looked at him with an intensity he had not seen in a long time. It was the same assertive gaze he had encountered both times they had met face-to-face during the war. And both times Slaine had also been pointing a gun at him.  He obviously meant business. Slaine looked like he might pounce on him with physical force if he didn't spill the truth.

"Mostly… here," he lifted an arm that had been clamped against his side. There was a deep gash about midway down that cut to the bone. Blood was dripping from it and there was a bit of white that looked like the surface of a rib.

"Shit." Slaine cringed and leaned to examine it.

"Watch your lang–” he began, but was cut short by a sudden, intense jolt of pain that left him momentarily dazed.  A second pang drew out a groan.  “What are you doing?” he demanded as soon as he could form words again.

"I'm trying to get the sand out. This is gross. Can't they at least let you clean up?"

Inaho looked down at the blonde head that hovered over his chest. "I'm pretty sure they don't care," he said dryly. "Anyway, it's not as bad as it looks."

He tried to return his arm to his side but Slaine stopped him, pinning it back against the wall. The chain clanked across his chest and pulled his other hand up with it.

"How is this not bad?" objected Slaine, "I can see bone, and you’re clearly in pain."

There was some vague response at the tip of his tongue, but it never made it out of his mouth.  Those words probably didn’t matter, anyway, and he was far too distracted by his puzzlement over Slaine’s behavior to make a coherent argument just then.  This person had never liked him. They had been enemies for years, and now they were only associated because of Asseylum. He was well aware that Slaine would most likely never accept him as a friend, even if he somehow found happiness one day. It was never his intention to be a part of that happiness – his job was simply to get Slaine to that point. So why was Slaine taking care of him, when he had no obligation to do so? Now, and back when he had been sick, too.  There was no reason for it, unless Slaine was only trying to protect his key to life outside the walls of a prison cell.  That had to be it.

He watched Slaine pull off his own shirt and begin to tear it into wide strips. It was all he could do to bite back the pain when his wound was gently cleaned with the extra scraps of fabric. The agony must have shown on his face, because Slaine apologized more than once.

After Slaine had finished tying the makeshift bandage tightly over the injury, he sat back on his heels.  "Anywhere else?"

Inaho shook his head. "The rest are just minor cuts. He wasn't trying to kill me."

Slaine seemed to believe him this time, and crawled around to sit next to him against the wall.  “I wish you hadn't taken off your sweater…" he said absentmindedly, after some time had passed in silence.

Inaho glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "Why?"

"You're freezing, aren't you?"

It was true. Between the chilly air, his light clothing, the blood loss, and his natural intolerance to low temperatures, he was so cold he felt like he might really freeze to death given enough time. It was that kind of deep chill that even shivering gives up on. Slaine's warm arm against his felt nice, at least. A desperate part of him wanted to tackle Slaine and absorb all of his heat.

"So… have any ideas?" asked Slaine eventually.

Inaho tried to focus on some kind of escape plan, but all he could think about was how cold he was. He pulled his knees up to his chest and locked his arms around them in an attempt to conserve warmth. Yuki and Slaine on either side of him helped a little, but the partial relief was painfully tantalizing.

Slaine sighed audibly. "Move forward a little," he said, giving Inaho's shoulder a nudge. Inaho numbly complied and felt Slaine’s arm slide around behind him, pulling him close against his side.  His wound ached less as his muscles relaxed against Slaine's warmth.  After a minute or two, his mind seemed to clear and he began to focus on the situation and any possible solutions.

"These people… Seylum mentioned to me that a rogue count had formed some kind of shady group, like bandits."

"Space pirates?!"

"Something like that. I'm going to assume these are the same people. And if that's the case, it's going to be difficult to get out of here. Apparently they're nearly impossible to catch due to some unique capability of their spacecraft."

Slaine looked pensive for a moment. "Whatever it is, if we can shut it down maybe there's a chance."

"It's no good if there's no one out there to pick us up. I wonder if there's some way to contact Seylum."

"There's most likely a communication room somewhere on this vessel. But he probably intends for her to know about this anyway. It's pointless if she can't find us. And anyway, he may take it as an opportunity to kill you in front of her. That's what this is all leading up to, right?"

Inaho pressed his forehead against his knees.  "Who knows."  The situation was bad enough without that sort of thing to think about.  Though he wondered whether it would matter that it was him specifically that was killed, rather than any other human being; she would be devastated either way if someone were to be murdered before her eyes.  But obviously this man did not understand the Empress at all, and despite the circumstances, it was somewhat satisfying to know that he had gone through a great deal of unnecessary trouble for this.  And, hopefully, his efforts would all be for nothing in the end, and they would all three emerge unscathed.

"We could take command of the craft," suggested Slaine, who was remarkably level-headed and unperturbed through all of this.  It might have been less surprising had he not just witnessed the past year and a half of Slaine’s life, which had largely consisted of drastic swings between anger and apathy, and everything but rationality and the will to survive.

"That might be better,” he agreed, “but how many people are we dealing with? The fact that we're not in separate cells probably means this is a small craft, but there could still be quite a few of them."

"There are at least four," Slaine paused and glanced over at him. "You're not really in any condition to be fighting, though. I can't take them all on by myself without a weapon."

"You've got a decent weapon right there," Inaho pointed to his shackles, "and Yuki is pretty good. She could probably handle one on her own with just that."

"Oh?" Slaine raised an eyebrow. "Maybe there's a chance then. But there could be a lot more on board than we know about, and it won't be much of a fight if they have guns. We can't mess this up, or she’ll be the one who pays for it."

Inaho sighed. "I know."

"No, you have no idea." He could feel Slaine's muscles tense. "These scars… I received them from a Martian count. One arguably kinder than this lowlife."

"Why w –" Inaho started to ask, but then caught himself. That was none of his business.

Slaine leaned his head back against the metal wall. "It's fine, I'll tell you. Since you're partly to blame, after all."

Inaho tried to think of how that was even possible.  They had hardly even seen each other until after the war, but maybe he had somehow inadvertently gotten Slaine into trouble during that time.  He waited for Slaine to explain.

"Remember when we first met, in Tanegashima?” Slaine began calmly, “You turned on me, and because of that I was retrieved by Count Cruhteo and tortured.  He wanted to know why I had stolen a carrier and run away to Earth, and why I had helped you take down a Martian Countess in her own territory, but since I knew that there were traitors amongst the Orbital Knights who had tried to assassinate the Princess, I wasn't sure if I could trust him with the information that she was alive.  He beat, whipped, and electrocuted me, and eventually threatened to kill me.  As terrified of that as I admittedly felt, I was beginning to wish he would.  I don’t really know how long it went on, and to be honest the idea of her being killed because of my weakness was the only thing that kept my mouth shut,” Slaine paused, and then added, “My point is, this man already said he wants to use your sister to control you, and believe me the only thing worse than experiencing that yourself would be having to watch her go through it. There's no telling what he would do to her if we provoke him.  As Terrans, it’s likely he sees us as sub-human.”

Silence hung between them as Inaho processed what he had just heard. He had never imagined that, however indirectly, those scars had anything to do with him. He tilted his head to look at the person beside him. The darkened lines that tore across Slaine’s fair skin somehow looked worse to him now. It almost physically hurt to see them. The pendant Slaine always wore, miraculously still intact after all it had been through between the three of them, rested on his slim chest as though guarding his heart, rising and falling with each breath. His gaze traveled to the soft, flaxen hair that fell over jet lashes and brushed against pale shoulders.  He should probably trim it when they got home.

They were definitely going home; there was no way he was going to let these two die here, because he would always protect those who were dear to him, no matter the cost.  Inaho leaned closer to Slaine.  "Sorry," he said, though it was an apology nearly four years overdue.

Slaine chuckled faintly, "I guess we're even."

For a little while, only their breathing could be heard in the dim room, and the occasional clink of chains as one of them moved.

"If only you had kept that eye," mused Slaine after some time, his thumb tapping distractedly on Inaho's opposite arm, “this would be so much easier.”

"Well, considering that it was taking over my brain, I'm sort of glad I didn't. But I do see your point."

"Your eye and my Tharsis… I guess we're just ordinary, now. I've kind of forgotten how to fight like this. But, I'm glad this time we're not…"

"Enemies?" he finished, when Slaine trailed off.

He felt Slaine nod, his cheek pressed lightly against the side of his head.  It was strange to be huddled alongside his former nemesis and relying on him for something as basic as warmth, but the more unusual concept was the fact that they were cooperating for once in order to achieve a common goal.  Then again, their very first interaction had been cooperation, if such a haphazard operation could be considered such.  This time he would not repeat his first mistake with Slaine.

"Wow, what a douche," said Yuki as she sat up and rubbed her head. "Bet that guy's never had a date."

"Yuki!" exclaimed both boys in unison.

"So have you two tactical geniuses come up with a plan yet?" She raised an eyebrow at their seating arrangement but said nothing of it. Instead, she huddled up against Inaho’s other side.  They then spent the next few minutes filling Yuki in on the little they had discussed.  "I say we go for sabotage," she advised when they had finished, "there are too many factors that need to align properly for a rescue to work, and splitting up is probably a bad idea."

Inaho nodded. “I agree."

After more deliberations, they all decided that if they could incapacitate the Count and deactivate the Aldnoah drive, there would be enough chaos on board to allow them a chance to take over.  Inaho could then reactivate it. They would stick together and watch each other's backs.

Slaine glanced at the barred door. "We just need to get out of here, then."

Admittedly, it was a pretty major hurdle, but he was sure they would think of something.

"Do you think I could seduce them?" asked Yuki with a perfectly straight face. She peeked down at her bosom with a critical eye.

"There's no way I'm letting you do that, Yuki," Inaho answered flatly.  The last thing he needed was for her to intentionally put herself in an even more dangerous situation.  He wondered if she had even thought through what she was saying.

"This is life-or-death!" she reasoned.

"Absolutely not."

"Maybe Slaine, then… I mean you never know which way they swing."

He felt Slaine tense at the suggestion.  "Me?!"

Inaho rubbed his temples. "No one is seducing anyone.  We need to avoid giving them ideas about that, or this could end very badly for all of us.  We'll wait for them to come get us and, as much as I'd like to have a solid plan, we're just going to have to improvise from there."

"You always improvise, Nao. But that's fine, I trust your gut." Yuki smiled at him, and then took a deep breath. "Ok! Now to wait. We can do this. I did not survive a war to die on vacation."

Hours passed. There was little said between them, and Inaho dozed off a few times.

Then, finally, footsteps approached. There was a click of a lock, and the door swung open.


	11. Dauntless

The metal door slammed into the wall behind as it opened, and there silhouetted by the light of the corridor was the count himself. He appeared to be alone.  One boot clicked against the floor of the room, and he cast a glance at each of them.

"How adorable," he remarked, seeing them huddled together, "will you cry when I separate you?"

His gaze rested on Kaizuka, who had actually fallen asleep about half an hour before. Slaine thought of waking him, but waited to see what would happen first. Especially since he had picked up a subtle change in Kaizuka's breathing and suspected he might only be pretending, maybe hoping for an opening.

The count leaned back on the opposite wall, out of their reach, and crossed his arms over his chest.  "However shall I choose which of you to dispose of first?" His hand slipped under his red uniform jacket and drew out a gun. "I think, perhaps, the beloved one. He looks peaceful… maybe I should wake him up a bit."

He lazily aimed for Kaizuka's foot, but something seemed to catch his eye and he lowered his hand again. Pale gray eyes shifted to Yuki.  "What a fierce look," he remarked as he stepped forward and crouched in front of her, "females should try to be cuter."

Slaine tensed as he watched the count lift the hem of her tank top with the barrel of his gun. Her hand sprung up on reflex to slap the man's face, and for an instant Slaine felt his heart jump into his throat. What was she thinking?!

The man dodged just barely, one nail lightly scratching his cheek.  "Ah ahh…" he warned, taking hold of her hair at the scalp and pulling her forward by it. The gun was now pressed to her stomach. "It would be a shame if I had to put a hole in you. But," his face was centimeters from hers, "that was pretty interesting. I thought you'd be extra baggage, but maybe you’ll be more fun than those two. Tell me, would you like to disappear along with them? I'm rather inclined to keep you."

She wrenched herself away from him, pulling her knee hard up into his chest at the same time. He fell forward coughing as she moved away as far as her chain would allow.

"So, you'd rather be killed?" he smiled playfully at her, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, "But you know, when someone desperately wants to die and can't… that’s the best kind of despair!"

Slaine felt his jaw tighten. It was all he could do not to pounce on the creep, but he didn't dare interfere when that pistol was so close to Yuki's vitals. One false move and she would be dead. He glanced down at Kaizuka. A maroon eye was fixed on the situation unfolding right beside him, the same reluctant restraint holding him back.

It was a losing battle. The more she resisted him, the more forceful he became. Slaine wished she would stop, and then maybe he would lose interest in her. That would allow him and Kaizuka to take action. But she was probably aware of that. He had a feeling she was doing it on purpose. After all, if he was occupied with her, he couldn't hurt them.

Slaine bit his lip. He had no need for this kind of protection. He didn't want it at her expense. She needed to stop… he had to make her stop… didn't Kaizuka tell her she was absolutely not to do this? Not that she was exactly seducing him; he couldn't tell whether the count was just sadistic or if this was somehow arousing to him. Either way, it was a disgusting lust for dominance. He was just toying with her like a cat and mouse, laughing at her as she struggled against him. She was strong, but he was stronger. Eventually he had her pinned to the wall by her throat. She clawed towards his face but he was just out of reach.

"You're trying so very hard, maybe I should reward you. I'm a generous man, after all. So... if you want this bullet so badly, I'll give it to you."  He slid the gun downward and discharged it into her thigh. Her scream was cut off as he choked the air out of her, laughing at her distress.

Slaine did not waste a single second. As soon as her core was no longer in the line of fire, he had the chain connecting his cuffs around the man's throat. The count dropped the gun in his surprise and clutched at the chain, trying to pull it away so he could breathe. Meanwhile, Kaizuka snatched up the weapon and shoved it into his gasping mouth.

All three froze expectantly.  Why wasn't he pulling the trigger?

The chain tightened as Slaine pulled back on it. If Kaizuka wouldn't do it, he would. He would not let anyone take these two away from him. The slightest pain inflicted on either of them was utterly unforgivable. Even if he couldn't protect them forever, right now this one thing was within his power. Kaizuka's hands were clean outside the line of duty, but his were dripping with the blood of countless people he had dragged through the horrors of war – one more would not make much of a difference. He had already thrown away his life, now he would use what was left of it to save theirs.  With all of his anger and regret fueling him, he ended it in one swift motion.

There was a moment when the room went completely silent, and then the clink of chains as he loosened them, sending the count toppling to the floor. Slaine stared vacantly down at the form crumpled beneath him. Heaving breaths settled into a normal rhythm, and he turned his gaze upward.

Yuki was crying but had stopped screaming. And Kaizuka… he could not make out what that expression was. Shock? Disappointment? He was looking straight at him as though frozen, but there was no discernible emotion in that gaze. Everyone was a bit stunned, but now was not the time for hesitation. Slaine rummaged through the count's pockets until he found a ring of keys. Trying each one, eventually he was able to release Yuki's ankle.

He moved to free Kaizuka, who still seemed rather disoriented. It was really unlike him to shut down like this. But... this kind of detachment from reality - it reminded him of himself when waking from one of his flashback nightmares. As he turned the key in the cuffs at his wrists, he noticed Kaizuka's hands were shaking. Slaine wanted to ask if he was alright, but Yuki's condition was more important. There was a growing pool of blood under her leg.

Without a word he unceremoniously pulled the tank top off of her and quickly tied it around her upper thigh as tightly as possible. Then he added pressure to the wound with his hands.

"You're going to be ok," he assured her, though he felt like he was saying it more to himself.

She nodded shakily, her eyes still wide with pain. He could tell she was trying not to cry out or writhe under his aid, but her hands were reaching out desperately, clutching the air as though trying to grab onto something.

She was reaching for Kaizuka.

Eventually her brother seemed to drift back to reality. He quietly leaned down and wrapped his arms around her. She gripped him tightly, her fingers leaving marks on his skin, and buried her face in his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Yuki… I was right there and he… I'm sorry... I'm sorry…"

Was he… crying?

In the past, when forced to look at that never-changing face week after week at the prison, Slaine had sometimes imagined how pathetic Kaizuka would look with tears streaming down his face, and wondered if such a thing was even possible.  But now that it was actually happening, it was the last thing he wanted to see. He turned away and focused on the task at hand. The bleeding had decreased significantly, though he didn't dare let up on the steady pressure he was applying.  If she bled out too much they’d never get her the proper care in time.

Now that there was some control to the situation, he thought about their next move. There were feet scampering about in the corridor as the craft fell towards the earth, its Aldnoah drive shut down by the death of the count. This was the chaos they had intended to use to their advantage in the original plan, but they were now immobilized by Yuki's condition. Someone had to stay with her. But someone had to turn the power on again or they would all die. Since at least a minute had passed and nothing was happening, he suspected the only other person aboard with the ability to activate it was Kaizuka.  He doubted that Lemrina’s factor remained with him at this point.  It had never truly been awakened in his body to begin with.

Unfortunately, not only did Yuki need her brother to be there with her, but Kaizuka was neither in the physical nor mental condition to carry out a dangerous and strategic mission.  The activation factor was probably not transferrable, either, since Kaizuka was not a member of the royal bloodline.  And as useful as a transfer would have been, receiving saliva from Kaizuka Inaho was not something he was particularly disappointed to forgo.

As it stood, he would have to manage this on his own somehow.  He tapped Kaizuka’s shoulder. "Can you take over here? I'll go and see-"

"You can't," Kaizuka interjected, calmly disengaging himself from Yuki's arms, "I have to." He hauled himself to his feet, stumbling with the unsteadiness of the ship in its descent.

“Are… are you sure… you can…?” Slaine really didn't want him to go off on his own, but Kaizuka was right.  There was nothing he could do. Slaine watched him leave with anxious eyes.

"He'll be ok…" said a gentle whisper nearby. Yuki was looking up at him with a faint smile, though she was clearly worried, too.

Slaine nodded. "Of course."

Minutes passed like hours as they both watched the door expectantly.

"Thank you, Slaine," said Yuki as they waited, "for rescuing me."

He smiled at her.  _ "It's the other way around..." _

She had rescued him many times. He was grateful now for every meal she had pestered him to eat, the yard work she had encouraged him to do, and all the other little things that had returned some of his former strength to him. Because of her, he could now be her support. This person… he hadn't really thought about it before, but she was probably the closest to a mother he had ever had. He leaned down and placed a reverent kiss on her forehead.

She laughed quietly, "What was that for?"

"Nothing…" Slaine looked back at the door.

There was a lurch as the craft stabilized, and both let out a breath of relief. A little while later, Kaizuka stumbled through the door.


	12. Demons

The relief at seeing Kaizuka return to them safe and sound was short lived.  He had made it back in one piece, but there was a crewman in pursuit who caught him just as he entered the cell. Slaine snatched up the gun that Kaizuka had left with him and took careful aim, prepared to eliminate the enemy.  But when the time was right to pull the trigger, he found he couldn’t do it.  If he messed up, he could accidentally kill the wrong person.

"Put down the gun," demanded the assailant as he pressed a knife under Kaizuka's chin.

Slaine glanced at Kaizuka. He had stopped struggling, his arms falling to his sides, and there was an expectant look in his eye. Slaine's hesitation vanished.  He adjusted his aim and pulled the trigger.  There was a thud as the man fell to the floor, and Kaizuka stumbled forward to his hands and knees, panting.

"Why… why did you…"

Kaizuka lifted one hand and pointed to his missing eye. "I trust your aim," he answered Slaine's unfinished question.

A wry smile tugged at the corner of Slaine's mouth. Was that a joke?  Either way, it still didn’t answer why Kaizuka had been so wholly trusting, when Slaine didn’t even trust himself.  Even if he had been a good shot, which was a dubious claim to say the least, it had been two years since he’d last fired anything.

Slaine moved aside as Kaizuka came to sit by Yuki. By this point she had become listless and increasingly unresponsive.  Kaizuka held her hand and took a deep breath. "As far as I can tell, there are a handful of others aboard, but that guy was the only one who saw me."

Slaine cast a glance at the second body that now graced the cell floor. There had been no way around that one. It was kill or be killed.  The thin, bleeding cut along Kaizuka’s throat was a testament to that.  Yet he felt a twinge of anxiety as he thought about the count. Should he have done something else and spared his life? He didn't particularly care about the man himself, but he still couldn't figure out the look Kaizuka had given him then. Today his inner demons had been dragged out once more for all to see, those dark parts of himself he thought would never need surface again.  And with them was that anxious uncertainty of being found out by those he cared about. He wondered if the Kaizukas would still accept him after such an explicit reminder of what he was capable of.  Kaizuka had witnessed it in the past to an extent, but Yuki... it was a savage kill. She probably wouldn't forget it.  He thought of what Kaizuka had once said to him.  _ "There isn't anyone who is completely beyond saving" _ … did he still believe that? Strange, that those words would come back to him now, when he didn't even know he had remembered them.

"Let's move Yuki to a bed," Kaizuka’s voice startled him from his thoughts. "Then we'll think about what to do next. I don't believe these people are particularly skilled. According to Seylum, they've been primarily targeting unarmed Terrans. All in all they're not a formidable force, just nearly impossible to catch. My guess is they're using primitive weapons because they can't obtain enough firearms. As long as we stick together and don't waste bullets, we should be okay."  He seemed much more lucid now than he had been earlier. Leaving the scene for a while must have cleared his head.  "I'll carry Yuki, you keep guard," continued Kaizuka, standing up.

Slaine watched as he tottered and fell over.  Sighing, he handed Kaizuka the gun. "I'll carry her, you focus on walking."

"… right."

Kaizuka picked up the crewman's knife and staggered to his feet while Slaine lifted Yuki.  As they walked he glanced down at the gun in Kaizuka's hand. "Hey, be careful with that, okay?” he warned, “Don't take this the wrong way, but you're dizzy and your sight isn't exactly one hundred percent…"

"Whose fault is that, I wonder..." muttered Kaizuka as he clung to the wall for stability.

Once they found the count's bedroom, Slaine gently set Yuki down on the mattress while Kaizuka bolted the door. He hated the idea of putting her in that man's bed, but it was the best one available, and this was probably the most secure room aside from the detention cell. By now she was slipping in and out of consciousness. Her skin was far too cold and her breathing was shallow. Slaine grabbed the nearest fabric article and bandaged the wound as best he could.

"We need to elevate it above her heart," said Kaizuka as he took pillows and gently stacked them under her knee.

They pulled the covers up over her to keep her warm.

"You should rest, too," Slaine pointed out when they had gotten her settled comfortably. He gave Kaizuka a light shove in the direction of the bed. "And warm up."

Kaizuka shook his head. "I can't… we need to get this figured out first. We're not safe yet."

"At least sit down for a minute," Slaine insisted.

A brief staring contest ensued, followed by Kaizuka's reluctant compliance.  Slaine put a blanket around him.

"I wonder if this would work," Kaizuka mused aloud as he pulled his phone from his pocket. He had retrieved it from the count before they left the cell. Slaine leaned to look at the screen. Of course, the battery was nearly exhausted. But there was just enough to allow them to reactivate the tracking anklet.  "I can't believe I get service here… we must have dropped pretty low during the blackout. There's a good possibility they'll be able to track that as long as we don't ascend any further. Chances are they've been looking for you already. It's been hours since your signal went offline."

Slaine felt a shiver run down his spine.  A part of him didn’t want to be found. There was no telling how his actions today would be viewed by the UFE and Vers. Still, as long as the Kaizukas were alright, he had no regrets.

"Maybe we should just wait here. I'm not sure you could handle all of them out there alone, and avoiding unnecessary violence is probably the best thing right now."

Slaine looked down at his hands. Yeah. Probably.

For a little while neither said anything. It wasn't home, and they needed medical aid, but it was a nice breather from the previous hours.

"I almost fired that shot…" said Kaizuka suddenly, almost to himself.

Slaine turned his head. "Hm?  Why didn't you?"

No, that was obvious. Kaizuka possessed all the control and decency that he had always lacked. That constant, total calmness was something he knew nothing of. It was a mystery to him how someone could be so impassive all the time.

Kaizuka lay back on the bed. "You were right behind him," he answered, "If I had pulled the trigger… at that range, I would have shot you, too."

Slaine tried to remember their positions at the time. Kaizuka was right – his heart had been directly behind the count's head. If he had fired that shot, he would most likely have killed both of them.

"If you hadn't been there," he continued, putting an arm across his face, "I would have killed him. I wanted to kill him."

Slaine stared at him, suddenly understanding. Back in that moment, it wasn't restraint or mercy that had kept Kaizuka from pulling the trigger, it was trust. He had valued Slaine's life over his own anger and decided to depend on him to handle the situation.  Kaizuka only looked calm.  All along, his actions always spoke what his words and expressions could not.

Their conversation was interrupted by an impact that sent Slaine stumbling forward onto the bed. There was a commotion out in the corridor, scuffling feet, and a single gunshot before all went silent.  A minute or so passed, and then someone knocked loudly on the door.

"UFE - open the door!"

So they  _ had _ been searching for them. They must have been nearby when the signal returned. Ironic that the device meant to contain him was now the thing that rescued him. That is, if they were really there to help.  Slaine took the gun and stood up, but Kaizuka caught his wrist.

"Be careful…” he cautioned, “if they really are UFE and you kill them, you'll never see the outside of a cell again."

Touching concern, but it mattered little to him compared to keeping those two safe. He didn't care who they were, if they proved a threat he would eliminate them.  He pulled his wrist free and walked to the door.

"Are you here to help us?" he asked, his fingers resting on the lock button but not pressing it.

"Our mission is to find and aid the Kaizuka siblings. Open the door now and we will consider your case with lenience, Slaine Troyard."

No aid for him? Figures. He wondered what 'case' they were talking about, and whether they might already have discovered the fate of the count. But if they had come to help the Kaizukas, that was enough.  He removed the lock and opened the door.

Immediately he was greeted by three soldiers, who stood with guns pointed straight at him. His natural reflex was to shoot, but he remembered Kaizuka's warning just in time and slowly laid the gun on the floor instead. He put his hands up and stepped back.

* * *

Slaine spent the next two days in a place he had never wanted to see again. White walls and blue bedding, bland food served on a plastic tray, and the tedious routine of prison life. But his return there was the last thing that worried him. He had not heard a single word regarding the Kaizukas’ conditions. Were they alright? Had Yuki received treatment in time? He paced his cell floor with growing impatience.

After agonizing hours of waiting, someone finally opened his cell door. He was called to an interrogation room, where he was asked to recount exactly what had happened. They asked him many detailed questions, and then sent him back to his cell. There was barely opportunity to ask about the Kaizukas, but he did manage to find out that they were okay by asking the least intimidating interrogator about it.

Days continued to pass, and soon his pacing turned to sitting and staring at nothing, and eventually to sleeping. Perhaps he would never leave this place again, and those two months had simply been a cruelly beautiful dream. Someone like him was never meant to be with people like that in the first place. They were pure and good, and he… he would only ever drive away the ones he loved with the very force of his devotion. Was it wrong to love so ruthlessly? It was the only way he knew. Perhaps he was unfit for this life, after all. Slaine pressed his face into the cotton pillow and pulled the blanket over his head as a familiar weight settled over him. For the first time in weeks, that insidious thought of dying returned.

If this was the leniency they spoke of, he did not want it. A life alone was no life at all. It was worse. It was cruel. He had thought that knowing they were safe would be enough for him, but that was only a lie he had told himself. Knowing was not enough. He wanted to be where they were, just as he had always longed to be by Asseylum's side.

_ Asseylum. _

She always seemed to be at the back of his mind, lingering in his subconscious like a phantom haunting him. Had she returned to Vers by now? Surely news had reached her of the incident. It didn't matter. He wouldn't be able to face her now that he had proven that he hadn't changed at all. Her invitation to Vers was no doubt retracted, and there was no other reason for her to see him.

He was tired, so tired of fighting this life. What was the point of gaining something if he was only ever going to lose it again?  She had wanted him to live, maybe even to be happy, but even that final wish he was gradually losing the will to fulfill.

A light tap on the door called him from the fog of his thoughts. He heard the hinges creak and footsteps approach.

"Hey," said a quiet, familiar voice, "sorry to keep you waiting."

Slaine's eyes opened, hope and doubt stirring in his heart. Was he dreaming? He peeked out from under the blanket.  Standing at his beside looking down at him was Kaizuka. A rose-colored eye met his own.

"Come on, let's go."


	13. Dulcet

As much as he had wished that someone would come for him, that Kaizuka would come for him, Slaine was afraid to accept that offered hand again.

‘Let's go?’ To what place and for how long? For him, hope was only a foolish thought that inevitably led to disappointment. Still, if it meant he could be with them a little longer, maybe it was worth the risk.

"Where?" he asked, his face obscured. Perhaps he was going to be relocated as those officials had wanted. At least there they might actually put him out of his misery.

Kaizuka crouched by the bedside. "Home, of course."

Home… he had never had such a place. Home was somewhere that people belonged, but he had only ever been an undesirable guest wherever he went.

"Are you going to let me put this on you or not?" Kaizuka waved the anklet in front of his face. "Yuki is waiting."

Slaine shifted in his cocoon. Slowly, he pushed back the blanket and sat up, his feet lightly touching the cold floor. Kaizuka took one of them into his lap and secured the anklet.

"Where are your shoes?" he asked, glancing around the room.

A little while later they were driving away from the prison. Slaine leaned back in his seat and watched the scenery as it sped by. Today there was a warm, steady rain, with soft mists casting a melancholy shadow over the landscape. He followed the windshield wipers in their pendulum path, lulled by their calming rhythm. There were questions on his mind, but he didn't particularly want answers yet. This moment was too comfortable to lade with details and truths.

Eventually Kaizuka broke the silence. "By the way, since our vacation was ruined, when Yuki's feeling up to it in a few weeks, we're going back to try again. If you'd like to, that is. It'll definitely be safe this time."

Slaine glanced at him. "Yeah. Sure."

* * *

Once they were at the house, Slaine ascended the stairs with nervous steps. He was both eager and reluctant to see Yuki. It had been so long since he had last laid eyes on her, though how long exactly he wasn't sure. His perception of time had gotten warped by his prison stay. Most of all, he was worried that she might see him differently now. If only they could simply go on as before…

Kaizuka knocked lightly on the door. "Yuki, we're home."

She called for them to come in, but Slaine lingered in the doorway, too hesitant to enter. Yuki was sitting in bed reading a book, her back propped by several pillows.  When at last she looked up, their eyes met and she smiled brightly at him.  "Welcome home, Slaine," she said cheerfully.

Over the past several years, Slaine had learnt to mask many of his emotions out of pure necessity, but there was one he could never hide. Relief.

As the tears began to fall, Yuki motioned for him to come closer to the bedside. She reached up and dried his cheeks.  "I'm so sorry you had to stay in that place for three weeks," she said apologetically, "it was my fault, I held up the interrogations."

Slaine couldn't understand why she was apologizing. It wasn't her fault at all…

"A-are you better now?" he asked, his voice uneven.

She looked better. There was color in her cheeks and her hand was warm.

She nodded. "I'll be fine."

He clung to her hand. She was alive and well, and she was looking at him the way she always had. Nothing had changed - he would be able to remain here and look her in the eyes again.

After a little while of visiting, they left her to rest and went downstairs. In the kitchen Kaizuka started preparing dinner.  "It's been a long time since I've seen her smile like that," he said as he set a pan on the stove, "her health is steadily returning because of the blood transfusions, but she was really upset that you couldn't visit."

"Will she be able to walk again soon?" asked Slaine. He took the vegetables Kaizuka had put out and began cleaning and cutting them. Somehow it felt like he had never actually left this place. The misery of that morning was quickly dissipating into a distant memory.

"The bullet didn't hit anything vital, thankfully, but it grazed her femur so it'll be several months before complete recovery. She's still in a lot of pain, though she tries to hide it. If she ever seems uncomfortable to you, let me know so I can give her more medication."

Slaine felt his hands form fists. He wanted to kill the person who hurt her, but then he remembered he already had. It was small consolation. She shouldn't be the one in pain. If anyone had deserved to be shot, it was him. He still didn't know why he had even been allowed to leave the prison.  He observed as Kaizuka put fish into the pan. His own cooking was still at a beginner's level, but he was determined to improve.

"I guess I should explain what's been going on for the past three weeks," Kaizuka began, turning the stove down a touch, "I'm sorry I didn't visit, there was a lot going on and they didn't want me to see you until they had reached a decision. After hearing all of our testimonies, the general consensus is that you acted in self-defense against an armed aggressor…" he turned the fish in the pan, "they're not charging you with anything. It was never even an official case, which is probably why it was handled so bizarrely. Honestly I think they're just glad someone got rid of him for them. If things had persisted with a Martian criminal attacking Terran citizens, it would have become a serious problem between the UFE and Vers." He handed Slaine a plate to wash. "Though they can't officially say it, you essentially did everyone a favor."

Slaine ran soap over the dish thoughtfully. "So… nothing has changed, then? What about that guy's motive, did they find that out?"

"Ah, you mean who was after your head? They're still investigating, though I suspect it was someone within the UFE. No one else could have known you were there with us."

That wasn't surprising. Kaizuka had previously indicated that there were people who wanted him executed, so perhaps this was an underhanded way of making it happen. If it was a Vers citizen that killed him, the UFE would not be held responsible. It was a dirty move, but a clever one. Still, without evidence they could do nothing about it.

Kaizuka served the food onto plates. "Let's bring this upstairs. We'll eat with Yuki."

* * *

Rain pattered against the windows of the little beach house. They had arrived at lunch time and, since it was raining again, they spent the afternoon relaxing indoors. Now the two were playing their third game of chess while Yuki took her bath.

"Your move," said Slaine, leaning back in his chair.

Kaizuka put his hand to his chin and looked intently at the board. There was an unusually long pause as he contemplated his next move.

"I think you might actually win this one…" he said under his breath.

Slaine tried to hide his grin of triumph. He still hated this game but as long as Kaizuka continued winning he would continue playing. Not like Kaizuka would let him stop, regardless. He wondered who invented this wretched pastime and why it had become popular amongst Terrans. Was it meant to be fun or just humiliating?

At long last, the game came to an end.

"Congratulations," said Kaizuka, standing up. "You win."

"Wait, where are you going?" Slaine asked as he watched the other walk away. He would have gloated but it would only make him look more pathetic for being so excited over a single win.

Kaizuka looked over his shoulder, "I'm going to check on Yuki. Why, did you want to play again?"

Yes. He definitely wanted to play again. Somehow after winning, it seemed much more fun.  He put the pieces back in the box. "Tomorrow."

A little while later, he went to say goodnight to Yuki before heading to their room to read. When he glanced in, Kaizuka was helping her into bed.

"Ah, Slaine, could you hand me that book?" she asked, seeing him in the doorway.

As he handed her the volume, he noticed Kaizuka seemed a bit out of breath. He hadn't asked about Kaizuka's recovery because he had seemed fine, but now upon closer inspection he looked rather pale.  "You should go rest now, too."

Kaizuka looked at him for a moment. "Okay," he answered shortly, and left the room.

When he was gone, Yuki laughed. "I'm a little jealous. Nao's so stubborn, he never listens to anyone. But look how easily he listens to you."

Slaine glanced at the door. "I don't know about that…"

"Oh he does," she confirmed. "He has a special kind of respect for you, you know. No one could ever keep up with him, but you were always one step ahead. And, even though it was war, I think he enjoyed the challenge a little."

In a strange way, he understood that feeling. There was a certain satisfaction that came from fighting a worthy opponent, regardless of the circumstances.

"Anyway, I'm grateful there's someone he'll take advice from. He refused a blood transfusion because he said there were others who needed it more. I can't fault him for that, but I wish he would at least rest. Can you believe last week he took exams as if nothing was wrong? He even passed out during one of them and refused to go to the medical office until after he had finished," she paused and took a deep breath, "so, thank you for taking care of him, Slaine."

Slaine nodded, a bit bewildered. This was all news to him – why would Kaizuka listen to a person as pathetic as he? Someone who couldn't even take care of himself properly shouldn't be giving advice to others. But the affectionate look in Yuki's eyes was sincere. Perhaps he really was doing some good.

He looked away. "… i-it's nothing."

"You should go take your bath before the water's cold."

“Um,” he hesitated, "But he's still in there..."

She laughed. "It's a big bath. Don't let him use up all the hot water, go on."


	14. Devote

Slaine sighed contentedly as he slid into the hot bathwater. Only the upper half of his face was still above the surface and his cheeks flushed a warm pink. Though he had thought it would be awkward bathing with another person, once he was there he forgot his timidity in the comfortable atmosphere. Kaizuka's presence alone had a soothing effect.

Slaine sat up and leaned back against the cool tile edge. A few minutes passed with only the occasional ripple of water echoing in the room. Slaine felt someone's eyes on him and he lifted his head up, hair dripping down his back. Kaizuka's gaze was wandering over him absentmindedly, as if he was thinking more than seeing.  Slaine wondered if maybe he was staring at the scars, and slid uneasily back down into the water.

"You're really tense," observed Kaizuka, roused from his reverie by Slaine's movement, "come here."

Slaine hesitated a moment. It was a strange command.

"I'll give you a massage," Kaizuka explained.

Still a bit confused, Slaine came and sat by him. He wondered why it couldn't wait till they were out of the bath, but then again Kaizuka had a way of doing things as they came into his head. He was unexpectedly impulsive.

Once he’d settled at the edge of the tub, his back to Kaizuka and legs tucked under him, he felt the hair being brushed from the nape of his neck and then two hands, warmed from soaking in the hot water, press into his shoulders. There was a surprising amount of strength in those delicate looking fingers. Slaine twisted away reflexively, but Kaizuka pulled him back into place.  "Relax."

That was impossible. It hurt strangely and he couldn't stop himself from squirming in response to the weird sensation of gratifying pain.  "Hahh –ow! Nnn..."

He heard a soft laugh behind him.

"What?" Slaine glared over his shoulder.

Seeing Kaizuka so amused was a rare sight. He was covering his mouth with one hand.  "It's just…” came a muffled response, “you sound so lewd."

Slaine felt his cheeks burn as he turned back around and buried his face in his arms.  "Shut up. You're being too rough, it hurts."

“It’s supposed to hurt some,” replied Kaizuka matter-of-factly.  “I can stop if you want, but you’ll feel better if you let me finish.”

It was true that he felt tension he didn't even know he had melt away under those merciless hands, and would probably regret being left tense in some areas but not others.  In any  case, despite his complaining, he actually didn’t dislike this at all.  “No… go ahead.”

Kaizuka finished with his shoulders and moved lower, massaging between his shoulder blades and along his spine. He let out a contented sigh, his eyes slowly closing of their own accord. He had never felt this relaxed in his life.

At some point the hands stopped, and suddenly he felt wet hair and soft breaths against his upper back. He froze, his heart startling from the unexpected contact.

"I'm kind of… dizzy," Kaizuka murmured.

Slaine let out a breath. So that was it. He shifted, lifting his head and twisting to face the one leaning on him.

Kaizuka fell against his chest and Slaine put a hand to his forehead. It was hot, of course, but it was hard to tell if that was just because of the steam. Either way, he shouldn't stay in the bath any longer.

"Can you stand?" he asked as he brushed back wet strands of russet hair.  “Kaizuka…?  Are you okay?”

"Yeah…" came a languid reply.

Slaine grabbed towels and helped him out of the bath.  “You should have said something sooner…”

* * *

When they had dried off and gotten dressed, Inaho lay down on the bed to rest. His head was spinning but the cool air helped a little.

"Your hair's still wet," said Slaine as he put away their clothes, "can you sit up for a second? I'll dry it."

Inaho hauled himself up into a sitting position and a towel was dropped over his head. He wasn't sure if he was actually moving or if it just felt that way, but the gentle hands steadily drying his hair seemed to stabilize him a little.

"She asked me to return to Vers," said Slaine suddenly. "I saw her… the day those officials came."

Inaho remained still. He had expected this might happen, but he hadn't counted on it impacting him all that much. If she whisked him away to a better life, that should be the best possible outcome. They would both be happy, and his job would be done. Slaine had already come a long way, though he hardly felt he had done anything in particular to facilitate that change. Yuki's influence was much greater, he was sure. Would she be disappointed if Slaine left?

"Did you give her an answer?" he asked.

Slaine pulled the towel away and ran fingers through the hair to neaten it up.  "No, not yet."

Inaho took the glass of water he was offered and dutifully sipped it. Aqua eyes met his. "You haven't decided, then," he said into the rim of the cup.

Slaine seemed uncertain, averting his eyes. "I…"

"It's a good offer. You'd have more freedom. Though…"  He didn't really want Slaine to go. He had never disliked his being there, but there's a big difference between not disliking and liking. He watched those uncertain eyes as they wandered deep in thought. The fact that he hadn't made up his mind yet must mean he had some desire to remain here. Either that, or he was somehow averse to going with Asseylum. It was possible, since living on Vers did not necessarily mean living by her side, and the prospect of Klancain's constant presence could hardly be a welcome one. He had nothing against the young count, but those two had not exactly parted on good terms. Yet, in the end, anyone would be a fool not to accept her offer, and there was no logical reason to convince Slaine to stay, as much as he might want to believe that there was. He had never expected the possibility of Slaine Troyard exiting his life to be so painful.

"Though – ?" Slaine prompted him to finish.

He would have more freedom with her.  No confinement to a small house, or a cell, but allowed to walk freely in a larger area, allowed access to more, allowed to be near her again.  Though -

As Slaine moved to turn out the light, Inaho reached out and caught his sleeve.  "Would you stay… if I asked you to?"

A heavy silence settled between them. Slaine did not turn around.  "I would do anything if it was you who asked."

"What?" Inaho released his sleeve.

"… do you think me pathetic?" Slaine asked quietly, "Because after everything, you, Kaizuka - my enemy, the one who thwarted everything, the one I put a bullet in without a second thought… _you_ are the reason I want to live…?”

He said nothing as he thought over those words, and waited for Slaine to turn out the light and crawl into the bed. "I have never thought that," he answered softly, pulling the covers up. The dizziness had almost disappeared.

Slaine rolled over to face him. He glowed pale in the moonlight, his thin hair already nearly dry. It would be selfish to keep this ethereal being chained here, but he didn't care. He would take advantage of this sudden devotion. He would be selfish this once.

"Will you stay?"

Slaine smiled a little. "You know the answer to that. But I'd really like to know… is this what you want, or…"

"Or Seylum's wish? ... no, this is my request."

In the dim light he could just barely see Slaine's smile. "Are you sure?  Do you really want to be stuck with me for the rest of your life?"

"It's not like I'm marrying you," he retorted idly.

"True," admitted Slaine, "but nobody would want to marry you with me glued to you."

Maybe not, but that was of little consequence. "I'm not particularly looking for a wife."

Slaine raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You seemed pretty taken with the Princess…"

"She's a friend, that's all. Besides, she's already married."  This conversation was starting to go in a regrettable direction, Inaho noted.

The smile faded from Slaine's lips. "I could get rid of that husband of hers if you want," he suggested, his tone only half-joking.

"Do you _want_ to spend the rest of your life in a windowless cell?" Inaho sighed. Something told him Slaine would really do it if he asked.

But Slaine was right about one thing. This was not like a temporary roommate situation. If he changed his mind in a few years and sent Slaine back to prison, he would probably fall into depression again. There was no future for him there, and it was hardly humane to isolate a person that way. There was no reason to worry about that, though. He had no intention of sending Slaine back there. But Slaine hadn't divulged his own wish yet.  "Are you sure you don't want to be with her?"

Slaine threw back his side of the covers to allow some airflow, already overheated. "I wouldn't be with her," he replied, "it's more appealing than prison, but I would be just as isolated on Vers as I ever was there. To be honest, I was never truly by her side."

Inaho wondered about this. She had definitely referred to him as a dear friend. But then, he had never actually seen them interact, and childhood friendships were not necessarily very deep ones, as they were often founded on shallow, changing interests.

Though he had hesitated to intrude upon Slaine's privacy in the past, it seemed a good time to ask the thing he had been curious about for years. If this was going to be an indefinite arrangement, there may as well be no secrets between them.

"You don't have to answer this, but… what was your motive back then? I find it hard to believe that all you wanted was to destroy the Earth and prolong bloodshed."

Slaine put a hand to his forehead. "Who knows," he sighed, "I suppose it would sound absurd to you, but I wanted to create an ideal world for her, a peaceful paradise that she could enjoy and govern.  That simply couldn’t happen any other way than by conquering Earth.  You know as well as I do that to end a war, _someone_ has to lose.  I wasn’t going to let it be her, so...”

“It shouldn’t have been you, though.”

“No.  It should have.  This is the best possible outcome, and I’ve never once regretted that much.  To be honest, I always knew that what I was doing wasn't what she wanted, but it was all I could give her. Maybe I was only serving my own desire to do something worthy of the kindness she had always shown me. She was the only one, you know… for a long time, she was the only one who saw me as a person. But I see now that she never needed anything from me. And she never will."

His answer almost seemed too simple. That couldn't be all... could it? It was hard to imagine anyone doing that much for one person. There was something heartbreaking about how resignedly he spoke of how she didn't need him. Perhaps he was right, but that didn't mean he was useless. He just wasn't meant to be of use to her.

“There’s one other thing,” Inaho added.  It was something that had been bothering him for a while now, and he thought he might as well bring it up too.  “If you’re going to be staying, you really should stop calling me ‘Kaizuka.’”

Slaine gave him a perplexed look.  “... why?”

“No real reason.  Anyway, I’ve been calling you by your given name for years.”

“That’s because you’re shameless,” Slaine reasoned.

“There’s nothing shameless about using a person’s name.  That’s what it’s there for.”  There was a place for titles and politeness, but the vast majority of it was just a huge and unnecessary bother.  Either way, there were no grounds for that sort of thing in his own home.

“By that logic, it shouldn’t matter which I use,” challenged Slaine, and Inaho had to wonder what happened to the devoted Slaine of five minutes prior.

“It wouldn’t, if I didn’t have a preference.  You don’t have to, of course, but I thought-”

“No, I will,” Slaine interrupted, and then added with a mischievous grin, “Is ‘Inaho’ alright, or should I call you ‘Na-”

“‘Inaho’ is fine.”

“Alright, _Inaho,_ ” announced Slaine, looking squarely back at him and speaking without a hint of the reservation that might be expected of someone trying a more casual address for the first time, “it’s time for some of my own questions.”

Inaho raised an eyebrow.  “Oh?  Fire away…”

At last, he was having a real conversation with Slaine.  One that consisted of more than one-sided, fruitless rambling, or some necessary practical discussion.  And they continued talking for over an hour, until Slaine eventually fell asleep, and then Inaho shortly after.

He had hardly closed his eyes, however, when he felt a familiar knee in his side. This again… He laughed to himself. Slaine disrupted his peaceful life in so many ways, and he could be exceptionally difficult to deal with at times, but he had no doubts about his decision.  He definitely wanted Slaine to stay.


	15. Decide

Inaho woke to the tickling of hair against his cheek. A pale face was directly in front of his own, eyes closed in sleep, and a bony knee dug painfully into his groin.

_ "For heaven's sake…" _ He shifted in discomfort, trying to carefully extricate himself from the limbs tangled around him. Slaine rolled over with a soft moan, taking the blanket with him despite being clearly too hot.

A glance at the window confirmed that it was still dark outside, though the rain had stopped, and Inaho wondered whether he should go back to sleep or give up and read until breakfast. He fumbled in the dark for his phone.  The screen light nearly blinded his remaining eye, and only after squinting for a few seconds did he see that there was a message from earlier that evening. It was from Asseylum.

_ "I would like to speak with you in person before I depart, if possible," _ it read.  It was probably about her offer to Slaine. He was glad they had spoken about it together first this evening, though it almost felt like he had snatched something from under her.  Technically, he was still fulfilling her request by doing the thing that made Slaine happiest. A perfectly logical conclusion, but the personal emotion behind it made it feel wrong somehow. Whose wish was he really fulfilling? It felt like his own.

He let the phone drop, not particularly caring where it went. It wasn’t supposed to be where Slaine could tamper with it, but at this point even the anklet was merely a formality to him. It was also the source of several bruises on his legs.

Since it was only three in the morning, reading until breakfast was out of the question. They had only gone to sleep a few hours prior. He yanked the covers back, dragging Slaine along with them, and felt his concern for the cause of his wakefulness dwindle by the second as he shoved the blanket hog away. Not that anything short of a riot could rouse him anyway. He removed a thin arm from his face, flinging it back to its owner.

Marriage. As if he'd put up with this every night.  The warmth was nice, though. Slaine was always so warm.

* * *

Slaine opened his eyes. The morning light seeped in through the thin curtains, casting an orange glow over the room. Aside from his distaste for the color, it was a peaceful atmosphere. His groggy mind slowly awoke from its slumber and for a moment he could not remember where he was. It was not until he felt a subtle movement beside him that it came back to him. He sat up and cast a glance down at the sleeping one beside him.

Chocolate hair spilled out onto the pillow, and the blanket over his shoulder moved softly with each breath.  Slaine watched him for a little while, feeling too lazy and content to crawl out of bed and start the day just yet. It was unusual that he should wake before the early riser. Inaho must have been exhausted.  He wondered if he shouldn't have kept him up so late the night before. Slaine thought back on their conversation. It had been the most personal discussion he had ever had, yet also easily the most comfortable. For the first time, someone had listened to him without interruption or judgment. Inaho had shared some surprising things with him, as well. Somehow he felt closer to him now, as though they had left their separate lives behind and had entered a different one together. Is this what it was like to have a brother? Yuki always treated him as one, but he hadn't really considered what it meant in relation to Inaho.

Slaine quietly got out of bed and left the room. He wandered to the kitchen, thinking he might start breakfast before the others got up.

"Miss Yuki...?"  He was surprised to find her already awake and drinking a cup of coffee, crutches leaned against the nearby wall.

"Morning, Slaine! Sleep well? How was the bath?"

"You're up pretty early," he dodged her questions as he went to the cabinet to gather ingredients, "is your wound bothering you?"

"Early? It's nearly noon."

Slaine set the pan on the stove with a bang. "What?!"

"Nao sleeps so late when he's with you. You must really wear him out…" she grinned into her mug as she casually sipped her coffee.

The comment was lost on Slaine, who replied pensively, "I suppose we did stay up a little too late, but not long past midnight. I hope he isn't sick again."

"Ah, I wouldn't worry. It's vacation, he can sleep as long as he likes."

Slaine nodded. He had somehow grown closer to Inaho, but despite their friendly interactions, there was still something standing between him and Yuki. Until now, he had thought it was because she couldn't forgive him. But last night as he spoke with Inaho, it hit him that he had it backwards.

"All this time," he started suddenly, forgetting she was not following his train of thought, "… I never even apologized. I'm sorry… I’m truly sorry for hurting your brother, and for causing you so much pain."

Her round eyes widened a bit, then dropped to her lap with a faint smile. "Ah… Slaine… I'll never forget what you did, but, somewhere along the line… I've already forgiven you."

He felt a tightness in his chest.  Those words should have been welcome, but instead he felt guilty for being granted them so easily.  He was the most unforgiving person of all; he had no business receiving forgiveness from others, especially not from her.  "But… I…" he fumbled for words, unsure how to respond.

"Nao never blamed you, you know?" Yuki continued, eyes still downcast, "I never understood why. I thought about it over and over again, why you would do such a thing to someone who was only trying to help the girl you both wanted to protect. It still doesn't really make sense to me, but I think I've come to understand  _ you _ a little better, Slaine. I saw… when we were captured. You must've been through a lot. I think you hate deeply just as you love deeply, and there's nothing wrong with that. There are many other wonderful things about you, Slaine. I hope that one day you will see them, too."

Slaine bit his lip, not exactly sure what she was saying.

"What I mean is," she explained, "you are not just your past.  You did terrible things, but you’ve also done many good things. I see that now. Besides, forgiveness isn't saying that someone's wrong action was okay, it's simply acknowledging that who they are is okay. That they made mistakes but can be trusted to not make the same ones again," she looked up at him, "Anyway, you should focus on yourself more. Caring for someone else is a good thing, but don't lose yourself in the process, okay? Try to remember that your value isn't determined by how well you make others happy."

He shifted uneasily, feeling as though she were looking straight into him. He could never understand Yuki's way of thinking, but he didn't dislike it. She was always surprising him.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" came Inaho's voice. He stretched his arms as he trudged to the table.

The somber mood was suddenly altered by the newcomer.  Slaine glanced sidelong at him. "You looked tired."

"I was, no thanks to you."

"Ah, s-sorry…"

Inaho yawned. "It's not like you do it on purpose. I just wish you could sleep without that if you're going to be kicking me with it all night." He pointed to Slaine's ankle.

"Do you think he'd be able to get it off one day?" asked Yuki.

"Mm, probably not. Unfortunately, even though they let everything slide from the incident, it was enough to convince them that he's still too dangerous. They're not punishing him for it but… the fact still remains."

Slaine’s mortification must have shown on his face, because Yuki hastily changed the subject. "The sun's out, so we should go down to the ocean after lunch… or breakfast. Whichever this is…"

* * *

"You don't know how to swim?" Inaho asked matter of factly, hand on his hip.

"I can swim! Just… not in the ocean."

They were standing on the beach gazing out towards the open sea. Meanwhile, Yuki was settled in her chair under an umbrella, donning a new swimsuit and hat.

"What's wrong with the ocean?"

"It's different from pools, there are creatures in there," Slaine pointed to the water, "and it's so vast and deep…"

"So you're afraid of it?"

"N-not exactly…"

More like heavily uncomfortable. Knowing about the ocean was one thing, but actually going in it was another. Besides, the only two times he had been in bodies of Earth's water he had crashed into them and then nearly drowned, only to be hauled off and imprisoned someplace directly afterwards. Not exactly relaxing.

"If only we had another person, we could play volleyball!" Yuki pouted.

"Yuki, we'd need two more people… you can't play yet."

"We might be able to help, then," came a melodic voice.

All three turned their heads to see who had spoken. Walking towards them across the sand were two young women.

"I didn't know you were coming here, Seylum," Inaho called back to her.

"I'm sorry for intruding unannounced… when I realized you would not be returning before my departure, I thought it would be best to meet with you here instead."

"Don't you need an escort? This place is a bit remote..."

"I do. They're very good at keeping out of sight," she laughed, pointing to some rocks. "Please don't mind them... they insisted, even though I assured them you are all quite safe."

Slaine watched the two in silence. They were speaking so casually, one would never guess that she was an empress. And what was with the heavy guard... he had a suspicion that they were there because of him.  He jumped as someone tapped his shoulder.

“Milord Slaine?" Bright purple eyes gazed into his.

He stared back at her in disbelief. With his decision not to return to Vers, he had assumed he would never see this person again.  "Eddelrittuo…"

At first he had nothing more to say, he was so surprised at her appearance. She was not one bit the child she had been two years ago. Her stature was still small for her age, but her figure and visage had become those of a woman. And she was quite beautiful.

"I'm glad to see that you look so well…" she said with a shy smile.

Asseylum had said nearly the same thing to him when they met by chance in the garden. But somehow only when Eddelrittuo said it did he really believe it.

He smiled back at her. "Likewise. Are you staying for long?"

"Her majesty wishes us to spend this afternoon with the Kaizukas and with you, Milord. Tomorrow we depart for Vers."

"'Slaine' will do, Eddelrittuo… I no longer have any titles."

"R-right…" her gaze was fixed on the sand at their feet.

"Is something wrong?"

"Ah! It's just…" she lifted her eyes, tears glistening on the soft curve of her lashes, "I'm very happy to see you again."

She wiped her eyes quickly as Asseylum approached.

"It's good to see you again, Slaine. Maybe it's a little impatient of me to ask so soon, but I’m eager to know.  Have you reached a decision?"

"I…" he trailed off, suddenly unsure. This was much harder to say than he had expected. "I'll always be grateful to you for your kindness, but… this is my home now."

Asseylum smiled regretfully, as though disappointed but not surprised. "Ah... I understand. If this is truly the place in which you wish to remain, I'm glad for you, Slaine. While I hope the day never comes when you must seek refuge, know that my offer will always stand. If you are ever in need, please don't hesitate to come to me. You are, after all, a very dear childhood friend."

More kindness. Lemrina was right that the Empress was unable to see the true, inner suffering of those she tried to save, but he could never resent her for that, because beneath that royal grace was a girl who only wanted to help those around her. It was her way of interacting with a world that had its eyes fixed on her, expecting her to erase everyone's problems. She, just like he, simply wished to be of service. Perhaps she was naïve, and it was true that she did not always understand the people she tried to help, but her heart was not wrong. Only now that he had taken a step back could he see that the reason he loved her and the reason Lemrina despised her were both entirely valid. He had thought of her as an angel for so long, he had almost forgotten she was human.

A friend. Was he allowed such a familiar title after all that had happened? She had thought of him as such long ago, but he realized now that they had never actually been very close.

"Eddelrittuo," Asseylum turned to the girl, "did you bring the swimsuits?"

"Yes, milady! I have them right here."

"Then, if you don't mind," she looked to Yuki, "could we change inside?"

Both boys stared at her for a moment. Swimsuits? They really had planned to stay the entire afternoon, then.  Slaine wondered if they had just this morning purchased them specifically for this occasion.

Yuki nodded. "Go ahead!"


	16. Dusk

When the ladies returned from the house, Slaine and Inaho had just finished putting up the net.

"So this is a Terran sport!" said Asseylum with enthusiasm as she admired their work.

Her white ruffled swimsuit reflected the sun, as did her hair, which was tied up in a casual bun. Per usual, Eddelrittuo contrasted in a black swimdress.  Slaine nearly fell over as he watched Inaho wipe a bit of sunscreen from Asseylum's face with his thumb.

"Oh! Thank you," she put a hand to her cheek.

Slaine looked uneasily from one to the other. Maybe there was a tiny bit of truth to the Martian conception that Terrans lacked propriety. Or maybe it was just Inaho, who could probably pull any number of outrageous acts with that same unperturbed expression.

"I will never get used to him," whispered Eddelrittuo, who was perhaps the more horrified of the two. She seemed slightly uncomfortable, though still elegantly modest, in her beach attire.

"I know how you feel…" Slaine muttered. He had gotten rather accustomed to Inaho's straight-faced shamelessness in regards to himself, but he was unused to seeing it with other people. He wasn't sure why, but he really didn't like it.

Those two seemed completely at ease, though. He could put up with it for them.

"How will you split the teams?" asked Yuki, who was watching them from her chair.

There was a pause, and then Inaho glanced at each of them. "Does anyone even know how to play?" The three shook their heads in unison. None of them had even heard of the game before.  Inaho put a hand to his forehead. "Maybe we should just swim…"

Asseylum clasped her hands together pleadingly. "But I'd like to try to play this game, if you'll teach us!"

After about half an hour of practicing and learning the rules, they started their first game with the girls against the boys. The boys barely won, after nearly losing to Eddelrittuo's unexpectedly incredible reflexes, which she used to return practically every one of Inaho's serves. The other two got the hang of it more slowly, but in the end Slaine's height gave the boys the advantage at the net.

After the game, Asseylum lay out in the warm sand.

"Are you alright, milady?" asked Eddelrittuo with concern.

"Ah… yes… just a bit tired."

"Please drink and eat, milady. You mustn't strain yourself right now, remem-"

"Eddelrittuo," Asseylum interrupted her, shaking her head.

Inaho watched them silently. "I'll bring some snacks," he said, and then headed back to the house. Eddelrittuo followed to lend a hand.

When they had left, Asseylum stretched out her fingers towards the sky. "Slaine…" she smiled softly, "I've always wanted to gaze at this blue sky with you. Thank you for teaching me about the beauty of Earth."

He had once longed for that as well, but never gave it much hope. The new world he had wanted to create for her had not included him. Just as this current peace of hers was at the cost of his freedom. As long as it ended with the fulfillment of her dream, he was content. Or so he tried to be.

He watched the gulls as they circled above, calling out to each other in the afternoon sun.

"Which kind of bird is your favorite?" asked Asseylum. Soft clouds reflected in her eyes.

Slaine thought for a moment. "The dove, I suppose."

"Why is that?" She propped herself up on one elbow.

The lull of waves against the shore filled any silence between them. Yuki was fast asleep in her beach chair under the umbrella.

"Because it is pure and graceful, and… it symbolizes peace."

She seemed to understand his meaning and, with a tiny sigh, lay back in the sand again.  "Even though you have chosen to remain here, I hope you will not mind my occasional visit. I journey to Earth in person once every two years. It is a long time, but I cannot govern my people if I am not amongst them. And… Klancain grows lonely in my absence."

The main question he wanted to ask was how her personal life was fairing. More specifically, if she was truly happy with Klancain. It was certainly chilling to think of who his father had been, but as much as he disliked the man for what had happened two years ago, the young count did seem like a good person. Above all, Klancain had prioritized Asseylum's desires when even he could not. He probably doted on her, and she did not seem restricted in any way. But did she love him… ?

He decided to risk the question. He was her 'friend' now, right?  "Are you happy with him?"

She looked up, a bit surprised at the straightforward question. Her expression softened and she leaned her head into her shoulder pensively.  "Yes, I am. We get along very well, though he is far too good to me. It did not happen immediately, but I really have come to love him."

It was impossible to be too good to her. He was glad to hear it, though, and she seemed sincere in her answer.

She sat up. "Will you go into the ocean with me, Slaine? I want to feel the water…"

He stiffened slightly. Of course that would be the thing she asked of him. Still, he could not refuse her.

"Of course."

* * *

Slaine flopped across the bed. "Today was exhausting…"

After volleyball and some light swimming, the four had built sandcastles and taken a walk along the shore. When evening came, the two women took their tearful leave. It would be two years before they met again in person. But each had promised correspondences.

"It's because you're so out of shape," replied Inaho mercilessly.

"What?! No I'm not."

"You've barely even regained your body fat. Eddelrittuo could take you out with one swing."

Slaine laughed at the thought. "You're probably right…"

"Anyway, get off the bed, you'll get it dirty."

"Ah, sorry…" he sat up, leaving some sand behind.

Inaho peered at him. "It's all in your hair, too. You were supposed to rinse off outside," he chided, "Oh, and I've been wondering… is your hair bothering you? I can cut it if you want."

Slaine shrugged. "I don't really care either way." It was a little annoying, but he wasn't going to trouble anyone over it.

"Maybe something to tie it back with, then. But honestly it looks pretty good this way," he added as he reached up and brushed several wild strands from Slaine's face.

The fact that Inaho had any opinion on it at all was a little surprising. "Then leave it." He went over to his travel bag to gather his things for bed. Inaho followed.

"Good, because I've never actually cut anyone's hair before," he said as he neatly placed his pajamas on the bed.

Slaine turned sharply. "And you were going to cut mine?!"

"Well it's just physics. I'm sure if cut at a forty-degree angle, each hair weighing maybe 0.5 milligrams will spring approximately-"

"That's not how it works! … to think I almost entrusted myself to your ridiculous brain and a pair of scissors…"

Inaho handed him a towel. "Well it'll need to be cut eventually, you can't grow it to your waist."

"Watch me."

"Though I suppose braids might be cute…" Inaho added quite seriously, with a hand to his chin.

Slaine flung pajamas at his face. "Don't imagine that!"

* * *

After they had cleaned up in the bath, they came back to the room to get dressed for bed.

"I meant to tell you," said Inaho as he pulled on his shirt, "Asseylum says they caught the guy. The one that hired someone to kill you. I'm not really surprised, but it was the man who came that day to try to take you away. The younger one with the glasses. I guess he didn't like what I said… sorry to have gotten you caught up in that."

Slaine was a bit confused. "Why are you apologizing? You're the one who protected me."

Inaho said nothing as he dried his hair with a towel.

"Hey…" began Slaine in a quieter tone, "what should I give you?"

"What?"

"I want to thank you."

Inaho eyed him for a moment. "Thank me for what? I haven't done anything."

There was a soft rustle of fabric as Slaine leaned his head down against the other’s shoulder.  "You saved me."

Inaho turned his head slightly.  His hands dropped to his sides. "It wasn't me. It was Seylu-"

"No. It _ was _ you. It was always you."

Soft hair brushed against Slaine's cheek as he inhaled that familiar scent.  If he had to pick a word for it, to him it smelled like home.

"Hey, stop sniffing me," the brunette complained, pushing him away lightly.

That calming voice always set him at ease.  "Then tell me… how can I thank you?"

Their gazes met for half a minute, and then Inaho glanced downward. He extended a hand to the pendant that always rested on Slaine's chest.

"Ah…" Slaine reached up to take it off, but Inaho stopped him.

"No, keep it," he said, "The only thing I want is…"

"Is…?" Slaine looked at him expectantly.

He seemed to be weighing something in his mind. "You... I want you to do whatever you please. Giving, receiving, whatever makes you happy – you don't owe me anything."

Those few words were incredibly freeing. The power structure that had always governed his existence was crumbling to dust under the Kaizukas' equal view of him. They did not disdain or revere him. He was a companion, a sibling. And neither of them was going to leave him all alone again. Gradually, cautiously, he had come to a place where he was no longer afraid of being abandoned. Inaho had seen the darkest parts of him, and yet he stayed. There were no requirements, no expectations, no exceptions to his acceptance. No matter what he became or how far he fell, Inaho would be there to bring him back again, to tell him he had purpose and that he belonged. Beyond anything he would ever have expected, it was at Inaho's side that he had finally found his solace.

Slaine put his hands over his face to hide the tears that came unbidden to his eyes. He felt thin fingers grasp his wrists and pull them away. The first thing he saw was Inaho smiling at him. That rare, warm smile.

"You cry so easily, Bat," he said, methodically drying Slaine's cheeks with his thumbs.

Slaine looked away. "Shut up, Orange."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! Usually I add some author's notes with each chapter, but since this story was transferred from FFn, there was nothing really to say (that's probably a good thing, for your sakes). Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my first ever fanfic! I am currently working on a sequel, which I will be uploading the first 5 chapters of in the near future under the title "Shattered Chains." Again, thank you so much for reading! :3


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